The federal government has unveiled a design for the new Confederation Building on Parliament Hill — a design that recognizes the different sizes of Canada, each shaped by the seasons and celebrating the land.
The Four Grasses is a rose motif that references the many flora native to the Prairies: Ostrich feather, pine, elk and moose grasses, as well as the familiar cattle, maple and wheat.
This is Ottawa’s 58th Confederation Building, which took one year to design. Each one reflects the national character of the building and is personalized to the specific place, such as the seal-shaped track for the Canadian Museum of Civilization or the red and white colours for the Canadian Museum of History.
The government of Canada chose three architects to draw up these designs. And while we were fairly successful in selecting our chief home and horticultural officers, we couldn’t help ourselves from also gaining a bit of influence in the naming of some of these buildings.
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Watch out, Ottawa: If this design for the new headquarters for the Gens de la Saskatchewan office is anything to go by, you’re going to have a hard time winning our design award.
Notable landmarks, like the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and the Apple logo in Cupertino, are featured prominently in this design. But so are close ties to aboriginal culture and a whimsical dollhouse look for the reception area, among other features that make it seem so right.