Work is underway to replace aging windows and to refurbish brickwork in the East Block of Confederation Building, the provincial government announced today.
In 2008, the Department of Transportation and Works engaged outside architectural and engineering consultants to evaluate the condition of the building's exterior.
According to a news release, the department was advised that some of the windows and exterior masonry had deteriorated to the point where they had become a potential safety risk. The consultants recommended replacement of the windows and repair of the masonry. The department immediately began extensive daily inspections of the windows and brickwork in the East Block and began planning for the replacement of all windows in the building, along with any necessary repairs to the masonry.
Transportation and Works engineers continue to conduct regular inspections of the building's exterior.
A tender was issued on Aug. 1 for select window replacement in the East Block and a contract valued at $1.15 million was awarded to Eastern Contracting Ltd. on Sept. 4. As part of this contract, the brickwork on a portion of the exterior of the building will be cleaned and necessary masonry repairs will be completed.
Tom Hedderson, Minister of Transportation and Works, said the windows have reached the end of their useful life. In recent years, he said, there have been problems with leaking and associated water damage.
"The replacement of deteriorated windows and repairs to masonry will help to modernize and improve the building and, at the same time, make it more energy efficient and provide increased comfort for occupants," Hedderson said. "This is a major provincial building and the time has come to undertake necessary maintenance and repairs."
Exterior renovations underway for Confederation building
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Published on
December 1, 2009
- Published on July 1, 2010
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Staff ~ The Telegram
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Comments
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- Micheal
- - July 2, 2010 at 15:05:04
Honestly anytime I drive visitors from the airport to downtown I never tell them that's our Provincial Govt. building. It's the ugliest most simplified piece of mindless construction (I cannot use words architecture or design here) I have ever seen and I agree with Truth Teller - it's got that post war Soviet feel to it. How much to demolish it and build again?
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- Justin
- - July 2, 2010 at 15:04:53
No interior renovations are planned for the foreseeable future.
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- C
- - July 2, 2010 at 15:04:49
How ironic that people in this province can't afford to heat their homes and govt wants to spend a fortune to keep the heat out of it's Confederation Building. Maybe that money should be channeled more appropriately to send some of that unnecessary heat out to people that need it!!!!
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- Truth
- - July 2, 2010 at 15:00:17
I was speaking architecturally, and credit the description to a former Political Science prof I once had a number of years back. It was a description of the East Block that I never forgot!
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- don
- - July 2, 2010 at 14:55:25
To Truth Teller: As you probably know, the reason for the step like appearance of the old East Block of Confederation Building is because it was designed that way to allow for additional stories to be built on top of the existing structure. Apparently, an engineering inspection done at the request of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador some years ago which was hidden away, discovered that the foundation, the soil and the existing structural integrity of the building would not support any additional weight and could not support any more stories being added to the old building. If they are installing bullet proof windows and bomb resistant concrete walls, then it will be a Stalinist Building only the KGB could be proud of!
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- Louise
- - July 2, 2010 at 14:46:11
I was hoping that the ugly tower at the top was going to be knocked off. It always reminds me of Premier Smallwood.
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- Truth
- - July 2, 2010 at 14:43:26
Will it look even more Stalinist?
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- Micheal
- - July 1, 2010 at 21:54:54
Honestly anytime I drive visitors from the airport to downtown I never tell them that's our Provincial Govt. building. It's the ugliest most simplified piece of mindless construction (I cannot use words architecture or design here) I have ever seen and I agree with Truth Teller - it's got that post war Soviet feel to it. How much to demolish it and build again?
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- Justin
- - July 1, 2010 at 21:54:31
No interior renovations are planned for the foreseeable future.
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- C
- - July 1, 2010 at 21:54:23
How ironic that people in this province can't afford to heat their homes and govt wants to spend a fortune to keep the heat out of it's Confederation Building. Maybe that money should be channeled more appropriately to send some of that unnecessary heat out to people that need it!!!!
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- Truth
- - July 1, 2010 at 21:48:00
I was speaking architecturally, and credit the description to a former Political Science prof I once had a number of years back. It was a description of the East Block that I never forgot!
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- don
- - July 1, 2010 at 21:41:41
To Truth Teller: As you probably know, the reason for the step like appearance of the old East Block of Confederation Building is because it was designed that way to allow for additional stories to be built on top of the existing structure. Apparently, an engineering inspection done at the request of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador some years ago which was hidden away, discovered that the foundation, the soil and the existing structural integrity of the building would not support any additional weight and could not support any more stories being added to the old building. If they are installing bullet proof windows and bomb resistant concrete walls, then it will be a Stalinist Building only the KGB could be proud of!
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- Louise
- - July 1, 2010 at 21:26:05
I was hoping that the ugly tower at the top was going to be knocked off. It always reminds me of Premier Smallwood.
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- Truth
- - July 1, 2010 at 21:21:32
Will it look even more Stalinist?
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