Canada Aims to Renovate Diplomatic Buildings in London into ‘Showcase’

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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A mega plan of $16-million to complete an extreme makeover of historic Canada House in downtown London, as part of a greater a multi-pronged plan to unite the Canadian government’s key diplomatic holdings in the British capital in the coming months, will result in the building of Canada’s High Commission to the U.K. to be transformed into a “showcase” for Canadian artwork, business savvy and “values.”

The extra-large plan is comprehensively uncovered in hundreds of pages of terms issued last week through a public tender, inviting all architectural firms to bid on the huge renovation project. The well motivated revamp of Canada House, i.e. scheduled to commence next month, is linked with an expected $500-million sale of Macdonald House on upscale Grosvenor Square, which is currently serving as a primary workspace for more than 200 Canadian diplomats in Britain, and Canada’s recent $100-million acquisition of 2-4 Cockspur Street, which is a large office building of 1920s-era conveniently situated next door to the 190-year-old Canada House. The High Commission previously highlighted at its website, last month, that the Cockspur address “is also of historic importance to Canada,” claiming reference to the building’s original owner, i.e. the Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada, and the site’s use as the Canadian army’s overseas headquarters during the Second World War.

The tender notice states that “as the primary physical symbol of Canada in the U.K., Canada House needs to be a modern, green, efficient building that reflects Canadian values.” It added that “Canada House must project these values through its infrastructure and design while balancing intelligent security with welcoming public access.”