After a year-long delay, work on new CRA building in St. John's is underway
Building will be an N.L. first for Toronto-based Moriyama Teshima Architects
After almost a year's delay, a Toronto architectural firm is diving into work on the new Canada Revenue Agency building.
In late December, the federal government announced it was awarding an $8.8-million contract to design a new building to house the CRA at 80 Kelsey Dr. in St. John's, replacing its Empire Avenue building.
"We kind of thought it was gone and the project was cancelled because we hadn't heard back. But then we heard just before Christmas," Brian Rudy, a partner at Moriyama Teshima Architects, recently told CBC News.
"So we've been reaching out to the team making sure everyone is still available. We're preparing to come out there, actually probably this month, later this month, to meet the local team and get started on the design."
Public Services and Procurement Canada spokesperson Michèle LaRose told CBC News in a statement the project was delayed because the land purchase needed to be finalized before a contract could be awarded.
"We had to ensure that all due diligence for the land purchase had been considered and completed, and this required some additional time that delayed the contract award," she wrote.
According to documents obtained by CBC News, the federal government bought the land for $4.9 million from Bristol Development Inc. in October.
First in N.L.
Rudy, who is partner-in-charge on the project, said the firm will be responsible for the building's design, as well as co-ordination of other sub-design consultants, including landscaping and electrical work, among other aspects of the work.
While Moriyama Teshima Architects's website shows it has clients across Canada and the world, Rudy says the CRA contract is the first time the firm will be doing business in Newfoundland and Labrador. The company will be working with a number of other consultants in the province as well as in Toronto and Halifax.
They will be working with St. John's-based Woodford Architecture on the design so the building will be "culturally sensitive" to the place, people and culture, he said.
"Ultimately, architecture and design is a … piece of infrastructure for the public. And so it lives in a public space, it lives within an existing culture. So every project is different," said Rudy.
During construction — which is set to start in 2026 and wrap up in 2029 — the firm's role will be more administrative to ensure its design is followed, he said.
Rudy said the building will be 18,000 square metres and the CRA will be the sole tenant.
The facility will also comply with Ottawa's "greening government strategy," which is part of the federal government's goal of lowering carbon emissions and building with climate resilience in mind.
Rudy said they will try to avoid fossil fuels, including aspects like the embodied carbon footprint in materials, which includes how materials are fabricated, shipped and installed.
Future of old building
Public Services and Procurement Canada spokesperson Alexandre Baillairgé-Charbonneau told CBC News the Empire Avenue building has been identified as "surplus" and will be "disposed of" — sold or transferred.
While it has undergone regular maintenance, he said, there hasn't been a major interior renovation or refit since it was built in 1980.
"The latest building condition reports advised that many of the building's architectural, mechanical and electrical components were original and beyond their intended useful life," wrote Baillairgé-Charbonneau.
Jeremy Link, another spokesperson responding to CBC News, didn't say whether there's a price ceiling for construction.
"The value of the construction contract will be known and publicly disclosed once bid submissions have been evaluated and a successful bidder is selected."
Rudy said the $8.8 million announced by the federal government in December doesn't represent what the firm is being paid for their work. The value of the firm's contract is "considerably less," said Rudy, who declined to provide the amount.
LaRos also said the $8.8 million is for required services and the costs associated with delivering those services.
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