While building our office and presence in the Atlantic Canadian region, we started work on our first major local project, the Juno Tower. The Defence Construction Canada and the Department of National Defence development included dismantling and removing the former officer’s facility while retaining the old officer’s wardroom, a heritage building.

The design-build challenged us with incorporating design, construction and commissioning through a single team. We worked together to create extensive plans while paying close attention to detail to retain heritage elements and upgrade mechanical and electrical systems.

The project experienced not one, but two weather disruptions. The first was Hurricane Juan, a category two hurricane with wind gusts more than 99 miles per hour, in September 2003. The natural disaster shut down Halifax for more than a week.

Just a few months later, the area also experienced impacts from “Winter Juan.” The February 2004 storm resulted in approximately 39 inches of snow overnight. Halifax declared a state of emergency and work was brought to a complete standstill for the next few weeks. 

With a strong navy background, we were determined to incorporate nautical elements throughout the building’s design to pay homage to its heritage. On floors 12 and 13, the design strongly resembles a ship’s bridge. We also carefully constructed temperature and humidity-controlled displays for military antiques and artifacts.