Queen Elizabeth II Planetarium Wins 2021 Ecclesiastical Insurance Cornerstone Award (Transformative Projects)

The newly renovated Queen Elizabeth II Planetarium, which reopened this fall, has quite the lengthy history. On September 29^th, another milestone was reached, with the Planetarium receiving a 2021 Ecclesiastical Insurance Cornerstone Award (Transformative Projects) from the National Trust for Canada.

RJC Engineers provided structural, building science and restoration services to help restore and preserve this valuable heritage structure.“The restoration and reuse of the Planetarium is having a big impact on the community, and bringing to light the many historical figures associated with the project” shares Heritage Architect, David Murray.

The 2021 Ecclesiastical Insurance Cornerstone Awards celebrate the exemplary projects and places that are bringing historic sites to life through restoration, revitalization, and stewardship. Presented as part of the National Trust for Canada Awards, the honours are presented in two categories: Transformative Projects and Resilient Historic Places.

The Queen Elizabeth ll Planetarium opened in 1960, as Canada’s first planetarium and a permanent civic monument of the visit of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. In 2017, the planetarium was designated as a municipal historic resource.

The renovation honours the heritage importance and uniqueness of the exterior by restoring those elements. The project also enhances the building’s interior with improved thermal performance, concrete repairs, a new dome, new mechanical equipment and LED lighting to meet current sustainability standards and building codes, wheelchair accessibility and non-gender-specific public washrooms for visitors to the planetarium and the surrounding park.

Congratulations to all award winners!