The C.D. Howe Building (French: Édifice C.D.-Howe) is an office tower in

Ottawa, Ontario Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

, Canada, that is the home of

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED; french: Innovation, Sciences et Développement économique Canada; french: ISDE, label=none)''Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada'' is the applied title under the Federal I ...

, the Office of the

Auditor General An auditor general, also known in some countries as a comptroller general or comptroller and auditor general, is a senior civil servant charged with improving government accountability by auditing and reporting on the government's operations. Freq ...

and other smaller tenants. It was built by

Olympia and York Olympia & York (also spelled as Olympia and York, abbreviated as O&Y) was a major international property development firm based in Toronto, Canada. The firm built major financial office complexes including Canary Wharf in London, the World Fina ...

. The federal government sold the land to O&Y for a dollar and signed an agreement to lease the final building for a set rate until 2012. The eleven-story building was opened in 1978.

Description

It was named after C. D. Howe, a noted federal minister in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. It is located at the prominent intersection of Bank Street and Sparks Street. The lower levels of the building contain a

shopping mall A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a North American term for a large indoor shopping center, usually Anchor tenant, anchored by department stores. The term "mall" originally meant pedestrian zone, a pedestrian promenade with shops along it (that ...

named 240 Sparks. The mall covers 3 floors with 50 stores including a

Holt Renfrew Holt, Renfrew & Co., Limited (doing business as Holt Renfrew and known colloquially as Holt's) is a Canadian luxury department store chain founded in 1837 by William S. Henderson. It has been owned by the Weston family since 1986, and was previo ...

store (closed 2015). The most notable element of the building's interior is the amount of greenery and the large

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several ...

. Public Works and Government Services greened the rooftop to address environmental concerns including energy conservation, storm water management, biodiversity, and air quality, and to provide the occupants a landscaped tranquil outdoor space. More than 30% of the roof is landscaped and grows indigenous flowers, grasses and shrubs. Another 30% of the rooftop uses green roof technology. The C.D. Howe Building was included amongst other architecturally interesting and historically significant buildings in

Doors Open Ottawa Doors Open Ottawa is an annual event held in the City of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, that gives the public access to many of the city's unique and historically significant buildings. Among the buildings included are government offices, museums, radi ...

in both 2012 and 2014.http://ottawa.ca/doorsopen Doors Open Ottawa The two

elevator An elevator or lift is a cable-assisted, hydraulic cylinder-assisted, or roller-track assisted machine that vertically transports people or freight between floors, levels, or decks of a building, vessel, or other structure. They ...

banks contain two storey tall cars that rise in a large atrium that stretches the entire height of the building. The C.D. Howe Building was recognized by the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) as the "Government Office Building of the Year - Canada" in 1997/98 for excellence in management. The award was presented to the Property Manager, Ronald Vadeboncoeur RPA, FMA, CPM in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He accepted on behalf of his team, including key members: Sue Baxter, Barry O'Regan, Paul Anderson, Celine Maisonneuve, Pierre Boucher and Frank Donovan.

Gallery

CDHowebuilding.jpg, Sparks Street Entrance C.D. Howe Building, Ottawa (indoor atrium - 20 August 2004).jpg, Indoors

References

{{Portal, Canada, Architecture *"Sparks Street complex provides unique picture of O&Y strategy." Kathryn May. ''The Ottawa Citizen.'' Ottawa, Ont.: May 16, 1992. pg. C.1 Federal government buildings in Ottawa