Promoting safe and practical operations for the Department of National Defence

New Headquarters of the Department of National Defence (Carling Complex)

In 2010, Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) addressed the need to consolidate its administrative and strategic functions as a National Defense Headquarters (NDHQ). Which meant they’d have to find a facility fit for 8,500 employees. To that end, PWGSC acquired the Carling Ottawa Complex—a building that use to house Nortel’s headquarters—to become their new NDHQ. There was only one problem. Consolidating different government departments created a need for strong security, and the existing facility didn’t offer adequate safety measures. That’s where we came in.

Our team of physical security experts helped to deliver a headquarters that promotes safe, secure, and practical use for the Department of National Defence (DND). How? By coordinating with several stakeholders to establish a comprehensive understanding of the NDHQ and its processes.

Together with a team of consultants, we broke the project down into three main phases. Firstly, we performed a site analysis to determine safety essentials. After that, we’d devised six development scenarios that took safety, landscaping, and traffic all into account. Then when PWGSC chose their desired strategy, we implemented it. Completed in December 2014, the new NDHQ will serve as a secure home base for the DND and PWGSC.