The Ottawa Bose-Art Station opened in 1912, inspired by the now demolished Penstivalvan Station in New York, and for that, in turn, the Baths of Caracalla in Rome. In 1966, this station building in the Canadian capital was closed, but it soon became operational as a government convention center. In the 21st century, a large-scale reconstruction of the nearby parliamentary complex began, and when the turn came to its Central Block, the question arose about a temporary shelter for the Senate. Temporary - in a broad sense, since the work will take at least ten years. And when the Senate returns to the old building, congresses will be held at the station and civil servants will be accommodated.
Architects Diamond Schmitt and KWC were commissioned to house a Senate meeting room, a large and two medium committee rooms, various ancillary and public areas, which were especially important because the building had been closed to the public since 1966.
The eastern facade, which initially remained undeveloped, received a new look. The meeting room was built into the main hall of the station (concourse), the rooms for the committees - into the waiting room and the checkout area. These are all plug-in structures, and their "installation" character is especially noticeable in the middle committee rooms, which look like bronze clad blocks inside the waiting room.
The magnificent interiors of the station (they were carefully restored) and the important representative function of the project are interpreted by the authors in the form of a varied decor that combines artisan traditions and the latest technologies, a thoughtful choice of motives and materials.
Boardroom and committee doors were digitally carved in chestnut wood, but the original motif - the leaves of ten typical Canadian maples - was handcrafted
By the "Dominion sculptor" Phil White, and then read by a 3D scanner. The two wooden panels flanking the "Throne" of the speaker are covered with the image of the Canadian flag, and the illusion of color and relief is created by the play of light and the depth of pressure of the cutter of the digital machine.
The lobby of the meeting room is separated from it by glass panels with a maple leaf motif. Their images and ceramic forms for glass casting were hand-made by artists. For the speaker's "Throne" and on other occasions, Canadian marbles were used.
The walls of the two middle committee rooms - on top of a layer of sound-absorbing materials that prevent noise from spreading in the huge halls of the station - are covered with bronze perforated panels on which photographs of Canadian landscapes are applied as halftone images.
