Skip to main content
Start of content;

Figure C: Key criteria for future committee rooms35

1. Location The direction of the Board of Internal Economy (BOIE) to locate Members of Parliament on the north side of Wellington Street within the Parliamentary Precinct must be met.36 The location of committee rooms within the Parliamentary Precinct is important as it reinforces the role of committees as a business of Parliament; it enhances the experience of visiting witnesses and constituents at committee hearings; it facilitates the movement of Members of Parliament from one facility to another.
2. Security Issues Security requirements have to be met, i.e., facility located on federal property within the jurisdiction of the RCMP, greater ability to manage vehicular, pedestrian, materiel traffic flow, greater ability to mitigate risk factors, and capability to integrate the necessary security systems.
3. Functional Program The functional requirements for future committee rooms in term of number, size, configuration and related services must be provided.
4. Operational Requirements The relationships between the various services, access to loading dock, storage, control rooms, etc., must be respected.
5. Integration of Information Technology (IT) Infrastructure IT requirements have to be met, i.e., ability to create a convergent (centralized) network environment, capability of growing in a manner that minimizes disruption and costs, and consistency to provide an equal level of service to all Parliamentary Precinct clients.
6. Flexibility of Committee Rooms Committee room layouts must allow for some spaces to be used as multi-purpose rooms, caucus rooms, doubling of room sizes, and allow for change.
7. Quality Environment of Interior Spaces Natural light into and views from committee rooms and public spaces are important.37
8. Architectural Design Qualities The proposed design must be compatible with the existing architecture and respect the landscape qualities.38,39
9. Minimal Impact of Construction on Operations The construction must have a minimal impact on existing adjacent facilities so that operations can continue with minimal disturbances.
10. Building Self-Sufficient The building can be implemented without the construction of another support facility to be functional. A building that requires another facility to be constructed in order for it to operate will require a much longer time frame and higher costs for completion.
Top of page ;