Infrastructure Ontario and the Ministry of Infrastructure have issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for teams to design, build, finance and maintain the new Ontario Science Centre facility located at Ontario Place.
The RFQ is the first step in the process to select a team to help deliver the project. Submissions will be reviewed to shortlist teams with the required design and construction experience, as well as the financial capacity to deliver a project of this size and complexity.
Shortlisted teams will be invited to respond to a Request for Proposal (RFP), which is expected to be released in late 2024
As part of the province’s work to rebuild Ontario Place into a into a world-class, year-round destination, Infrastructure Ontario (IO) is working with the Ministry of Infrastructure to build a new state-of-the-art Ontario Science Centre facility on the mainland at Ontario Place. The historic Cinesphere and Pod complex will also be preserved, updated and integrated into the new facility. The relocation of the Ontario Science Centre will bring exciting science-based educational programming to the heart of Ontario Place, sparking curiosity and innovation for a new generation of visitors and inspire young minds to envision future careers in science. Science-based programming is also in keeping with the original vision for Ontario Place to be a destination for learning and innovation.
The new state-of-the-art facility will also integrate and embody sustainability principles. The facility will be designed and constructed to achieve targets for energy use intensity (EUI), operational and embodied greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI), thermal energy demand intensity (TEDI) and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification.
The new Ontario Science Centre is being delivered using a Design Build Finance Maintain (DBFM) model. Key benefits of a DBFM model include risk transfer to the private sector over the life of the project agreement, greater cost and schedule certainty, greater potential for design and construction efficiencies, as well as innovation and higher maintenance quality encouraged through performance-based service payments over the 30-year term.
Featured image: (Ontario Science Centre)
