Portfolio

Siemens Healthcare

A three phased project addressing the conversion of a two storey corporate office use to an 90,000 ft2 research and development, and manufacturing center for Siemens Healthineers to support increased manufacturing of point-of-care analyzers for health care and to support new product development. This Siemens Healthineers facility supports new manufacturing lines to meet increased demand for the Point of Care healthcare business across Canada and in over 70 markets worldwide, which Siemens Healthineers operates.  The facility consolidates two business unit sites into one and enables all employees and equipment to be one area and combines the R&D and operations team in one location, to support new high speed printer lines for the epoc Blood Analysis System, which will almost double current capacity, while also allowing for new product development and manufacturing.The epoc System enables comprehensive blood analysis testing at a patient’s side on a single room-temperature testcard, with results in less than a minute. This instrument has been critical for Intensive Care Units (ICU) to support blood gas testing and treatment decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The expansion complements the company’s other point-of-care operations in the United States, United Kingdom, and India.The facility contains hazardous materials storage, an ISO 7 sensor production cleanroom,  Clinical, Systems and Wet Labs, Reagent Labs and Manufacturing as well as Test and Process engineering labs to support the Siemens Point of Care Healthcare Operations world wide. ‍

Ford Distribution Centre

Chmiel Architects was retained as Design Architect and Architect of Record for this new distribution facility for the FORD Motor Company constructed in Casselman Ontario. This new distribution center was completed in a design build format, and is comprised of a 550,000 ft2 single storey warehouse and office facility. The project was the result of a developer RFP for the development of a new Eastern Canada Distribution Center for FORD.‍Documentation was completed based on a phased permit process which allowed the construction to commence with footing and foundations using Controlled Modulus Columns while the superstructure drawings and above grade permit submissions followed.‍The site contains one guardhouse-controlled principle access gate for semi trailers and a secondary truck access gate. Parking for 192 trailers are accommodated on the site as well as 42 loading docks each with hydraulic levellers and accommodation for 42 additional future dock facilities with knock out panels provided. A separate office area comprised of a gym, cafeteria, training room, and administrative area of 13,000 ft2 is also provided in the building.‍The project site straddles two municipalities and involved extensive negotiations with the municipalities, the local conservation area, and the county government. Reports included traffic and transportation, noise studies, Phase I and II ESAs, as well as the MTO approvals due to proximity to the 417 highway.‍

100 Queen Street Renovation

Innovation Centre at Bayview Yards

ADVOCACYThe Chmiel Architects team was engaged to act as Advocate Architects on behalf of the City of Ottawa for the development of the Ottawa Innovation Center at Bayview Yards. Our role as advocate includes the development of the design test fit and completion of performance specifications, assistance in the management of the RFQ and RFP process, and assistance during the construction phase. Set to open in 2016, the new facility will house, among others, Invest Ottawa as its anchor tenant. Our team will oversee design and construction of the Innovation Center on behalf of Invest Ottawa and the City of Ottawa.

Ciena Masterplan

DESIGN PROPOSALAs part of a shortlisted team, Chmiel Architects prepared a design concept and master plan for the proposed relocation of Ciena’s campus headquarters. The scheme proposed involved three separate office buildings, with a large portion of the centre building devoted to amenities. The campus would provide a large cafeteria, indoor gymnasium, basketball and tennis courts, and outdoor leisure space.

David Azrieli Pavilion, Carleton University

The project mandate was to provide a new 7500 m2 pavilion next to the Tory Building and Dunton Tower along Library Road on the Carleton University Campus. The pavilion is home to the David Azrieli Institute for Graduate Studies in Architecture, as well as the new Bachelor of Information Technology program. The building houses the new Azrieli Gallery, dedicated to architecture and allied arts, and the National Capital Institute for Telecommunications — a research consortium of facilities across the region, which will explore the latest telecommunications technologies. Students at the new facility have access to four large lecture halls, specialized computer laboratories and workrooms, and state-of-the-art classrooms, teaching studios and seminar rooms.

Carleton University Renfrew House

CARLETON UNIVERSITY RENFREW HOUSE & RESIDENCE COMMONS UPGRADESThis project involved building upgrades to the Renfrew House Student Residence and the Residence Commons building. The Residence Commons building was upgraded to incorporate a new “hotel-style” reception desk with office space, a modernized central lobby, renovated public washrooms, as well as refreshed students’ association offices and “Abstentions” retail store. The renovations to Renfrew House Student Residence included modernized washrooms with new fixtures, accessories and finishes, upgraded doors and wireless card access security, revamped fire alarm system, electrical upgrades, conversion of heating system to steam with instantaneous hot water, and refinished stairwells.

CD Howe Building Renovation/Roof

Building RenovationThe CD Howe Building is a large Downtown Class “A” Office Complex covering an entire City block. As this Crown Asset is 30 years old, a need was identified to completely renovate this fully occupied building.  The renovation and upgrade schedule commenced in 2002 and was completed in 2012, with a total construction cost of $140 million. This 1 Million ft2 facility is comprised of 11 above grade office floors, located in 2 towers (33,000 ft2), 3 commercial / retail levels and 2 below grade parking levels.Our team commenced this project with a detailed investigation of the existing premises which would facilitate the development of a Master Plan and Design Guidelines for the modernization and reconditioning of the complex.   Our work included full base building systems upgrades as well as interior renovations for large government tenants which include Industry Canada, House of Commons and the Office of the Auditor General.‍Roof ReplacementPWGSC commissioned our firm to evaluate replacement of existing roofing membranes within the focus of a lifecycle retrofit program of the 100,000 ft2 roof. The existing 27 year old roofing membranes were beyond their working life.The project utilized Energy Star roof-compliant high reflectance technologies on the upper mechanical roofs and green roofing technologies for the main 80,000 square foot roof area. The project also utilized leak detection technology over the entire landscaped area.‍

JDS uniphase headquarters

Chmiel Architects was engaged by JDS Uniphase to create a master plan for their new campus situated on 55 acres of land to support 1 million square feet of new space. The entire development consists of 3 office/manufacturing and laboratory buildings, a corporate headquarters (administrative building) an atrium link, loading and storage facilities, day nursery, soccer pitch, slo-pitch field, and parking for 3200 cars for 10,000 employees. Our team provided full architectural services including base building and interior design. The campus plan development was completed over a 4-year period.

Carleton University Robertson Hall Renovation

Constructed in the late 1960’s Robertson Hall is a six-storey concrete and masonry building that houses Admissions Services, the Undergraduate Recruitment Office, the Welcome Centre, Awards Office, and various other meeting rooms and offices for the University Senate and Board of Governors. As the design lead, Chmiel Architects was tasked with the responsibility of rejuvenating the main entry levels which had virtually remained untouched since the initial construction. The area of work involved renovating 500m2 of space spread over three floors. The renovation included expanding the University Welcome Centre, designing a cantilevered feature wall system that wrapped around the double-height lobby space, designing a new barrier-free admission services desk, custom-designed glass guards and stainless-steel handrails on the main feature stair and mezzanine level, as well as a completely new led lighting strategy.Scope of Services Provided: Schematic Design, Design Development, Construction Documentation, Preparation for Tender and Bid Analysis, Contract Administration and Closeout.

Accreditation Canada

NEW CONSTRUCTIONAccreditation Canada is a not-for-profit, independent organization accredited by the International Society for Quality in Healthcare (ISQua). They provide national and international health care organizations with an external peer review process to assess and improve the services they provide to their patients and clients based on standards of excellence. Their long term plans for their headquarters included owning a custom designed and built building. The design incorporated curved elements into the façade, which translated into interior collaborative spaces to maintain circulatory efficiency. As square footage was a concern, the main lobby was designed to serve as crush space for the adjacent 200-person training room to accommodate the increased occupancy.

Joule (A Canadian Medical Association Company)

Joule, which is the Canadian Medical Association’s newest company, was spun off to be on the forefront of physician-led innovation nationwide. As a new entity, they saw that their headquarters should be a cutting edge space, inspiring creativity and the sharing of ideas.  As a response to this, Joule understood it needed a non-traditional office aesthetic, and therefore selected an unusual site – the office faces the field of Lansdowne Park, and has 16’ tall ceilings. The palette of materials included a mixture of cold and warm materials – glass, polished concrete and steel; laminated veneer wood slats, felt, and illuminated, textile room dividers.The whole space was developed to be a “free-address” environment, meaning that no one has a dedicated spot, encouraging people to find the right spot in the office (or outside the office) to suit their task at hand. In order to accommodate the various workstyles present in their organization, the floor was divided into a heads-down “focus” side and a lively “collaborate” side. Various open and closed collaboration spaces were provided throughout, including upholstered “bleachers” and bar height counter seating facing the football field, high back soft seating surrounded by movable fabric walls, collaborative filing islands, and more traditional meeting rooms of various sizes.  Sit-stand work-surfaces, a raised floor system for power and data, wi-fi throughout, and biometric scanners allow flexibility and freedom of movement and an enhanced user experience.

Private River-Front Residence

This 3,500 ft2 custom home was designed to take full advantage of the spectacular setting. The prime feature of the house is the fully glazed 2 storey living space with an adjacent dining rotunda and bar. The site offers panoramic views of the Gatineau Hills and Ottawa River

Wellings of Stittsville

Wellings of Stittsville is the newest in Nautical Lands Group’s senior’s living complexes. Chmiel Architects was tasked with designing the next phase of the project which includes two six-storey buildings that complement the first phase. Located on Hazeldean Road, the project will animate the street frontage and draw foot traffic to the site’s amenity areas.The focus of this project was to create a comfortable living space while accenting the site’s natural features. The buildings were designed to direct flow through to the central exterior amenity, then toward the walking trails of Poole Creek at the rear of the site.Wellings of Stittsville includes 423 below grade parking spots to accommodate the 486 residential units, to be constructed in three phases, as well as above grade parking for guests and visitors.Our team also incorporated new safety measures into the design for COVID-19 to ensure the health and safety of the tenants and staff.

Fifth + Bank

The Fifth + Bank apartment building is a seven-storey urban infill project connected to a two-storey heritage building located in Ottawa’s Glebe neighbourhood. The site is located on the east side of Bank Street between Fourth and Fifth Ave. The project consists of 163 luxury apartment units, two floors of underground parking and multiple building amenities including a lounge, dining room, prep Kitchen, fitness gym and dog washing station. The project contains two interior courtyards on the east and west sides of the building that not only provide outdoor and entertainment space for the tenants but also help transition the building scale down to the adjacent low-rise residential community. The building architecture consists of a two and three-storey brick podium that conveys a townhome aesthetic consistent with the character of the neighbourhood. Above the podium, the upper floors are terraced back and clad with a light-coloured ironstone block and grey metal panel.‍* Photo credit: Gleb Gomberg

Canada Post Prototypical Carrier Depot

Our firm was engaged by Canada Post Corporation to develop a Prototypical Design for the development of Letter Carrier Depots across Canada. The design was created to establish a brand identity for these new facilities, and to enable Canada Post to roll out the buildings over a short period of time on a variety of sites, and in a variety of cities across the country. The project will replace over 35 such sites and contains letter sorting stations, office areas and loading stations in 3 prototypical facilities ranging in size from 1800 m2 to 3000 m2. The project has targeted a LEED Certified designation for all sites.

World Exchange Plaza 1989

Richard Chmiel led the winning design for a 1M sq ft project with office tower, retail podium, and underground parking, managing team and construction.Completed with BBB Architects in 1989.The result of a limited design competition, the 1 million square foot project consists of an 1100 car 5 level underground parking garage, a 350,000 square feet, 21 storey office tower which sits over a 3 level 120,000 ft2 retail and exhibition podium. Richard Chmiel was the Project director responsible for the Competition winning design, management of full design and consultant team, client liaison throughout development process, and overseeing of construction contract.

Canada Post, Colonnade Road

The project is a single storey, 2,300 m2 Letter Carrier Depot (LCD) with 3.7m clear unobstructed ceiling height, 26 loading bays with integral cantilevered canopies. This “LEED Certified” Letter Carrier Depot was developed in accordance CPC’s functional program while incorporating established corporate standards to provide a “durable building” that exceeds LEED minimum requirements.

Rideau Carleton Raceway

The project involved the upgrade and renewal of the Rideau Carleton Raceway dining and viewing gallery, washrooms, and banquet hall. The project comprised 1,800 M2 on two floors and use of the space was ongoing throughout construction.

Wind River

We were engaged by Wind River, an international high tech firm to redesign their Ottawa facility. The project consisted of a total of approximately 4,000 M2 on two floors. Although there was still a requirement to retain a fairly high number of closed offices, the design incorporated some progressive elements, such as lower panels for open workstations, flexible closed office furniture arrangements to allow for meetings, and collaboration furniture settings located in the open office space to allow for impromptu discussions, and as a way to provide a transition zone between teams. A large employee café with banquette seating, café tables and bar height seating at the kitchen island is located right at the entry point to the office space, making it a hub for meeting people and sharing ideas.

World Exchange Plaza, 14th floor

Chmiel Architects was retained by the World Exchange Plaza as prime consultant for Base Building upgrades to all 19 multi-tenant floors for common areas and washrooms for the 45 O’Connor Street tower. The work is being completed on a phased basis, for which our team developed detailed performance standards, and completed construction and tender documents. Two of 18 floors have been upgraded to date.

199 Slater Condo and Alt Hotel

This 23-storey infill project combines two separate occupancies in a high rise configuration: a condominium and a boutique hotel. The project offered a unique set of design challenges and requirements as each occupancy was provided with its own complete and separate yet integrated servicing, circulation, vertical transportation, and mechanical and electrical systems. This complex project was realized as a mid-block infill, with two levels of underground parking, ground and second floor for hotel lobby and conference space, two more levels of parking on the third and fourth floor, and the remainder of the tower allocated to hotel and condominium suites. The building has 178 condo units including two (2) storey penthouses, and 148 hotel suites.

Export Development Canada

ADVOCACY AND OFFICE DESIGNChmiel Architects was retained by Export Development Canada (EDC) as their Advocate Architect for delivery of their Base Building Design and Prime Consultant for the delivery of the Interior Leasehold Improvements of their New Headquarters facility. The base building is 19 stories in height with 3 levels of underground parking, and was conceived as a build-to-lease project, for which our team developed performance standards.The project achieved LEED Gold core and shell, and commercial interiors status. Features include multi-media walls and displays throughout, and the creation of a high performance workplace design.

Export Development Canada (Advocacy)

ADVOCACYChmiel Architects was retained by Export Development Canada (EDC) as their Advocate Architect for Base Building Services and their Prime Consultant for the delivery of the Interior Leasehold Improvements of their New Headquarters facility. The base building was conceived as a build-to-lease project, for which our team developed performance standards, and is comprised of a 19 storey building with three levels of underground parking.The project achieved LEED Gold core and shell, and commercial interiors status. Features include media walls and displays throughout, enhanced infrastructure, improved thermal comfort, and addressable lighting.

Lobby Renovation, World Exchange Plaza

Principal in charge, Richard Chmiel and Project Architect, Rick Kemp worked collaboratively on the architectural construction documents and interior design dialog for the completion of the World Exchange Plaza lobby, located at 45 O’Connor Street.Complimentary reuse of an existing custom wall sculpture by local artist. The redesign of the 2,600 sq. ft. lobby incorporated a clean modernist aesthetic with bright classic materials that better accentuated the artwork allowing it to become a focus piece.

Ciena Executive Briefing Center

Chmiel Architects completed renovations to the Ciena Executive Briefing Center (EBC) at Ciena Headquarters in Kanata, Ontario.The principal driver of this renovation project was to address the new planning needs of Ciena and to modernize the current look and feel of the EBC environment to facilitate a corporate executive meeting platform, internal training and conference needs, as well as the creation of a “Technology Bar” for Ciena employees.

World Exchange Plaza Redevelopment

Five years in the making, and after countless variations and options throughout the planning stage, spring 2022 construction is well underway at the World Exchange Plaza, and our team’s design vision is really taking shape.  Good design is iterative and demands deep thinking. It never works on the first try, but the more you review and re-review, the more considered and well thought out the result becomes. Our team is excited to see the physical transformation of the space occur.As part of our investigation to improve circulation through and within the building, the decision was made to remove the rotunda stairs. The rotunda was considered a focal point of the World Exchange Plaza building, yet the space bled out in too many directions. Now with the second-floor slab filled in, it has a real presence.The World Exchange Plaza Revitalization is a collaboration project with GH+A design studios with construction by <a href="https://www.ellisdon.com/" target="_blank">EllisDon</a>; looking forward to completion later this year.  Follow construction updates here: <a id="" href="https://www.thenewwep.com/" target="_blank">https://www.thenewwep.com/</a>.

Zibi Office Building

Chmiel Architects' Zibi office HQ boasts Ottawa skyline views, LEED-certified design, ground-floor amenities, and a rooftop with mechanical facilities. As part of an invited design competition, Chmiel Architects submitted designs for a new office headquarters located on the East side of Chaudière Island as part of the Zibi redevelopment project. The proposed site offers prominent views of the Parliamentary Precinct, the skylines of downtown Ottawa and Gatineau, and the Ottawa River and Chaudière falls.The project includes retail space, a gymnasium, service space and a cafeteria on the ground floor, with three levels of underground parking. There are eight stories dedicated for office use and additional amenity space located on the rooftop level. The project was designed to LEED Canada New Construction at the Silver certification level, in keeping with the goal and vision of creating a world-class sustainable development at Zibi.The building features floor to floor curtain wall glazing on all facades emphasizing the 360 degree view of the national capital region. Perched on Chaudière Island, the verticality of the building is emphasized through the use of exaggerated mullion fins and concrete columns projecting upwards, culminating at the rooftop terrace. The rooftop level houses the building’s mechanical/ electrical rooms, meeting rooms and amenity areas beneath a soaring butterfly roof structure which projects over the two large roof terraces.

Telus Regional Corporate HQ

TELUS House is located on the corner of Bank and Slater in downtown Ottawa and is Ottawa’s first LEED-NC office building in the downtown core. It was designed as a 9-storey office building with retail on ground and two levels of underground parking. Chmiel Architects worked closely with the client to create a building that addressed the TELUS “brand” with strong architectural identity. Careful consideration was given to the scale of the building respecting the retail street fabric. Attention was paid to the design of the main lobby, the incorporation of a feature stairwell, and notably the two exterior garden roof terraces.The project received a LEED Gold rating in 2009, and a TOBY award for the best new office building under 200,000 ft2 in 2010.

Slater Street Mixed Use Development

This design study consists a 225,000 square foot, 17-storey class ‘A’ office building with commercial property on the ground floor and four levels of underground parking. The site is a mid-block property and as such careful attention has been paid to the building fenestration to maximize access to natural daylight and to respect the heritage overlay of the area of the site.

Laurentian Place

NEW CONSTRUCTIONChmiel Architects was retained by SmartCentres to design a Class “A”, five (5) storey office building complete with an adjacent two-level parking structure. The site is a suburban retail mixed-use site with existing “big-box” retail buildings. Careful attention was paid to the integration of the building into the local fabric of the streetscape, as well as that of the other retail uses on the site. Ground floor occupancy is mixed use retail / office tenant, while floors 2 -5 are primarily office space.

Canadian Forces Recruitment Centre

This project involved the fit-up of 1,500 sq.m. of retail space at 240 Sparks into the public face of the Canadian Forces Recruitment Centre. The fit-up involved revising a bare-bones retail space into a fully realized office space, with testing and medical facilities, interview and enrolment rooms, showers, washrooms, and office space.Our team felt that the visible downtown location for the centre deserved a strong presence, accessible from both the street corner and the interior mall. The use of bold ceiling design, bright linear fixtures and custom millwork makes the space feel welcoming and engaging. We worked with the established look and feel from the other recruitment centres throughout the nation, and built upon the material language to ensure the Ottawa location had a unique character.

100 Murray Street

NEW CONSTRUCTION AND HERITAGE OVERLAYThis project consists of the design of an 85,000 ft2 5-storey office building with commercial property on the ground floor, and two levels of underground parking. As the site is located in a heritage overlay district in the market area of the City of Ottawa, careful consideration and attention has been focused upon the building’s scale, respecting the retail street fabric, and keeping with historical precedent and tradition.The project received an Urban Design Award from the City of Ottawa in 2007.

Alterna McRae Branch

The McRae branch marks the first iteration of Alterna’s new branch design, which our firm previously developed (see “<a id="" href="http://www.chmielarchitects.com/project/alterna-flagship-branch/">Alterna Flagship Branch</a>”). This compact, neighbourhood version, at approximately 1,600 sf, features soaring 18 foot ceilings and full height glazing. The eye-popping ceiling design consists of circles: round acoustical clouds alternate with similarly sized light fixtures, with clusters of dropped pendants extending down through the space. A custom light fixture dropped over the lounge area also plays with the scale. The result is a bright, inviting, and progressive banking environment.

Alterna Head Office

INTERIOR OFFICE FIT-UPThe work for the Head Office for Alterna Bank involved the Interior Fit-up of four (4) storeys of a new seven (7) Storey Office building. The fit-up was constructed concurrently with Base Building completion, with Chmiel Architects performing an advocacy role and being responsible for base building performance standards and project oversight. Alterna saw this project as an opportunity to rebrand the work environment for the organization and to create a dynamic new environment which would encourage the sharing of ideas and collaboration. They sought to reinvent their workplace, and our team developed new workplace standards to re-allocate space from the individual (i.e. workstations) to the communal (i.e. employee cafés, collaborative areas, etc).

Alterna Flagship Branch

Chmiel Architects was selected as Alterna’s creative partner to develop the design of their new flagship branch. It was essential that the new space reflect Alterna’s values of People First, Excellence and Integrity. Chmiel Architects aimed to create a space that was warm, inviting, vibrant, fresh, and stimulating. Spaces were designed to serve multiple functions. For example, the main banking hall is equipped with reconfigurable lounge seating and serves as a waiting area and reception area for events or seminars. The main boardroom also serves as a staff meeting room, lunch room, and community room for use by members.