Alberta Infrastructure said crews are working to correct issues on the exterior of the Federal Building, just a few years after the completion of a multi-million dollar facelift.
A spokesperson with the provincial department issued a statement to CTV News:
“During the winter, ice build-up caused partial detachment of several wood soffit sections on the exterior of the Federal Building. The partially detached soffits represented a potential safety hazard. The total cost to remedy the problem is $1.65 million. This is not covered under warranty from the previous renovation work as the deficiencies are deemed to be design rather than construction-related. Repair work has not affected use of the building and is projected to be complete later this summer.”
CTV News spoke with Infrastructure Minister Sandra Jansen about the repair work.
“What we found over the winter is that there was an ice buildup on the soffits, and it’s created an amount of weight that makes it a safety issue,” Jansen said.
The 11-storey building near the Alberta Legislature was completed in 1958, it was built by the federal government – and housed federal government staff until 1988 when Canada Place was built.
The Alberta Government purchased the building in 1983 for $20.5 million. It was meant to house provincial government offices, but ended up remaining empty for 27 years.
In 2010, the province began a multi-million dollar renovation on the building. The project was initially budgeted at $356 million, and was supposed to open in 2011.
After a number of delays, the renovated building opened in 2015, at a cost of more than $400 million.
With files from Jeremy Thompson
