Library and Archives Canada (LAC) in Canada and the Plenary Properties Gatineau (PPG) consortium, which is responsible for constructing a second preservation centre in Gatineau, Quebec, revealed the design of the building that will be located directly behind the current Preservation Centre.

"In many ways, the new building will set a global standard, following the example of the existing Preservation Centre, which is Canada’s pride and the envy of other memory institutions at home and abroad", according to Library and Archives Canada.

The new preservation centre will be the first “net-zero carbon” facility dedicated to archival preservation in the Americas, and the first federal building constructed to the requirements of Canada’s Greening Government Strategy. The main features of a net-zero carbon building are:

• minimal carbon emissions from energy consumption achieved through building design and efficiency measures;
• energy needs met through carbon-free fuel sources; and
• minimal embodied carbon in building materials.

It will also be the world’s largest preservation facility equipped with high-tech automated archive storage and retrieval system. This means that our precious national collections will be kept under optimal preservation conditions.

The PPG proposal was selected for this public-private partnership because it meets all of the required technical criteria and can be implemented at the best possible cost to taxpayers. The consortium will:

• design, build and finance the new building;
• optimize storage space in the current Preservation Centre; and
• operate and maintain both facilities.

The ultra-modern facility will increase LAC’s capacity to store Canadian archives and resolve the critical shortage of space expected in the very near future. Construction will begin in 2019 and lead to the creation of hundreds of new jobs, with the opening expected in 2022.