The proposed design for the new Iraqi embassy would give it more space and make it more accessible.
The Centretown Citizens Community Association says it has few objections to the Iraqi embassy’s request for rezoning to create a larger, more accessible building.
“We found it to be an attractive design, particularly significant for the downtown area. And also we had no objections at all to the increase in height,” says Robert Dekker, vice-president of the CCCA.
The current McLeod Street building is a small, concrete structure across from the Canadian Museum of Nature.
According to documents filed with the city, the Government of Iraq is proposing a larger, flashier building in its place – one that would resemble a ziggurat, a pyramid-like structure built in the ancient Mesopotamian valley of what are now Iran and Iraq.
Though the proposal was received by the city on in September, it was not until the first week of November that the CCCA sent its comments to the city for review. Overall, Dekker says its concerns are few.
He says its main concerns lie with the lack of setbacks from the sidewalks, which could cause a problem for both embassy security and lack of green space in front of the building. Dekker also says that parking needs to be looked into, because if the building were to take up some of the embassy’s current parking lot, it could contribute more parked cars lining the street.
For Ottawa’s Iraqi community, the new building would be beneficial, says Mohammed Ghanim, president of Carleton University’s Iraqi Students in Solidarity.
“Most of us had parents who had to go through the embassy for most of our lifetime,” he says. “The embassy is really hard to access.”
Ghanim says the current structure has a very small, cramped waiting area, and currently it is not accessible for people with physical disabilities.
He calls the space poorly laid out and says he believes the construction would be very positive for the Iraqi-Canadian community.
“The Iraqi community, as it is, has a very negative opinion of the Iraqi embassy because of all of these things, in addition to actually dealing with the embassy itself. So at least it will be something positive to have this,” Ghanim says.
He says the only issue with the proposed building is that it could take up to five years to finish, which could cause even more problems with accessibility as visitors to the embassy navigate the worksite.
The Canadian Museum of Nature is the largest non-residential building in the vicinity of embassy, and the plans suggest the new design will complement the museum’s “glass lantern” at the building’s main entrance.
However, Dan Smythe, senior media relations officer for the museum, says CMN officials have no comment as they haven’t examined the proposed embassy redevelopment in detail.
So far, the city has not approved the plan, but Dekker estimates a decision to be made by next month.