Parliament of Canada House of Commons

Overview

A $400M modernization and rehabilitation of the Canadian Parliament’s West Block responded to a need for enhanced functionality, accommodation of public visits, and high definition television (HDTV) broadcasts of Parliament sessions. Renovation efforts included design for a temporary House of Commons Chamber housed in the central courtyard of the Parliament buildings. Covered by an expansive glass roof, the space accommodates a speaker gallery, government and opposition lobbies, and press room and committee rooms. The glass roof covering the temporary legislator Commons incorporates acoustic and daylight control to support broadcast and recording requirements, live conversations, and amplified speech.

Extensive computer modeling quantified the location and amounts of absorptive surfaces required to control reverberant sound energy for both the temporary and renovated Chambers. Work centered on ensuring the highest quality acoustic environments and achieving excellent speech intelligibility for deliberations, whether live, recorded, or broadcast. The team also addressed needed requirements for sound isolation and low background noise levels.