Place du Portage
Encyclopedia
Hull, Quebec
Hull is the central and oldest part of the city of Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. It is located on the west bank of the Gatineau River and the north shore of the Ottawa River, directly opposite Ottawa. As part of the Canadian National Capital Region, it contains offices for twenty thousand...
sector of Gatineau
Gatineau
Gatineau is a city in western Quebec, Canada. It is the fourth largest city in the province. It is located on the northern banks of the Ottawa River, immediately across from Ottawa, Ontario, and together they form Canada's National Capital Region. Ottawa and Gatineau comprise a single Census...
, Quebec, Canada, situated along Boulevard Maisonneuve and facing the Ottawa River
Ottawa River
The Ottawa River is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. For most of its length, it now defines the border between these two provinces.-Geography:...
. It is owned and occupied by the Federal Government of Canada
Government of Canada
The Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...
.
Place du Portage consists of four phases which were built in different stages during the 1970s and early 80s. The office complex was built in order to revitalize Hull's decaying downtown core and also to increase the proportion of the federal workforce in the overall National Capital Region
National Capital Region (Canada)
The National Capital Region, also referred to as Canada's Capital Region, is an official federal designation for the Canadian capital of Ottawa, Ontario, the neighbouring city of Gatineau, Quebec, and surrounding urban and rural communities....
. Although the installation of thousands of jobs in the Hull and Gatineau area has resulted in significant economic benefits to local businesses and the real estate market, some people feel that the complex has transformed downtown Hull in some negative ways. Much of the old downtown core was replaced with a series of massive towers and approximately 4,000 residents and businesses were displaced in the area that was once the town's main commercial area.
The whole complex (Place du Portage I, II, III, IV and Place d'Accueil) accommodates approximately 10,000 office workers. That makes Place du Portage the biggest office complex in the National Capital Region.
Place du Portage I
Place du Portage I is the second tallest office tower in Hull, after Terrasses de la ChaudièreTerrasses de la Chaudière
Terrasses de la Chaudière is a complex of government office buildings in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. The complex was built in 1978 as part of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau's initiative to see more federal workers based in the Quebec side of the Ottawa River. It was built by developer Robert Campeau...
. It has 25 floors, is 101 metres (331.4 ft) high, and completed in 1973.
Place du Portage I accommodates approximately 1,200 office workers.
Place du Portage II
Place du Portage II is adjacent to Portage I and was completed in 1975. Including underground parking, shopping, mezzanineMezzanine (architecture)
In architecture, a mezzanine or entresol is an intermediate floor between main floors of a building, and therefore typically not counted among the overall floors of a building. Often, a mezzanine is low-ceilinged and projects in the form of a balcony. The term is also used for the lowest balcony in...
, and mechanical
Mechanical floor
A mechanical floor, mechanical penthouse, or mechanical level is a storey of a high-rise building that is dedicated to mechanical and electronics equipment. "Mechanical" is the most commonly used term, but words such as utility, technical, service, and plant are also used...
levels, there are altogether 18 levels, 10 of which are office floors.
Place du Portage II accommodates approximately 800 office workers.
Place du Portage III
Place du Portage III consists of 6 connected towers of different heights, spanning both sides of Boulevard Maisonneuve, with an approximate gross surface area of 150000 square metres (179,398.5 sq yd). The tallest section is 18 floors above grade with another 5 below-grade levels. It was completed in 1978.Place du Portage III accommodates approximately 4,500 office workers, mostly Public Works and Government Services
Public Works and Government Services Canada
Public Works and Government Services Canada is the department of the government of Canada with responsibility for the government's internal servicing and administration....
staff.
In 2000, Phase III was named by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada
Royal Architectural Institute of Canada
The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada , founded in 1907, is a Canadian association representing over 3,600 architects, and faculty and graduates of Canadian Schools of Architecture.RAIC is the voice for architecture and its practice in Canada...
as one of the top 500 buildings produced in Canada during the last millennium.
Place du Portage IV
Place du Portage IV is the latest phase, completed in 1979. Including underground parking, shopping, mezzanine, and mechanical levels, there are altogether 20 levels in a step-up design, with an approximate gross surface area of 122000 square metres (145,910.8 sq yd).Place du Portage IV accommodates approximately 3,500 office workers, almost exclusively Human Resources and Skills Development Canada
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada
The Department of Human Resources and Skills Development , operating under the FIP applied title Human Resources and Skills Development Canada , is the department of the Government of Canada responsible for developing, managing and delivering a variety of social programs and services...
staff (which includes Service Canada
Service Canada
Service Canada is part of a Government of Canada-wide service transformation initiative aimed at responding to Canadians' expressed desire for better, more responsive, less cluttered service from Canadian governments...
staff).