Canada Science & Technology Museum – where past meets future.
In 2015, NORR was tasked with an ambitious schedule to complete renovations for the Canada Science and Technology Museum in time for Canada’s sesquicentennial celebrations in 2017. The project required: envelope upgrades, new mechanical and electrical systems, seismic upgrades, new entrance facilities and overall aesthetic enhancements to the Museum. As you approach the building, the Ceramitex® provides a beautiful white façade that effortlessly amalgamates with the intricate angles of the building elevations and roof while doubling as a 250-foot long projection screen. Not only did NORR revitalize this well-known Ottawa institution, it has achieved the appearance of a national museum.
The Architect
NORR Limited is located in Ottawa, Ontario. The company that became the large and multi-dimensional practice that exists today was originally established by John Burnett Parkin in 1938. After working in the U.K. following his graduation, he returned to Toronto filled with a passion to design in the Modernist style. Now surpassing three-quarters of a century of practice, the firm has continuously reinvented itself to maintain its passion, vitality and contemporary approach to its craft.
360° Advantage
The 80,000 sq. ft. exhibition space and over 2,900 artifacts needed an impressive exterior to represent the world-class experience contained within. Collaboration between the designers at NORR and the technical team at Elemex was essential to ensure that the facade would achieve expectations. The plan for the 250-foot projection screen, integrated lighting system and non-typical panels required a team effort and the use of new technology to create a structure to house historic and current science and technology.
