Floating above downtown Ottawa’s financial core, a silver orb moves back and forth all day atop a reflective glass skyscraper. Welcome to the World Exchange Plaza.
Taking up the entire block between Metcalfe and O’Connor streets, the plaza is just minutes from Parliament Hill.
The green-hued building covers more than 670,000 square feet and is comprised of two towers connected by a three-storey concourse with shops, a food court and one of the downtown core’s few movie theatres.
The towers, known as Tower I and Tower II, are home to office space for companies including CTV, Ernst and Young and Microsoft. Business people and shoppers can be found bustling in the concourse among its many stores such as Shoppers Drug Mart, Second Cup and the LCBO. The building has three entrances at Queen, Albert and O’Connor streets, as well as a five-level underground parking garage.
The concourse is known for its life-size beluga whales and narwhals hanging from the ceiling and a sky-light with eight sparkling chandeliers spiralling around a three-storey staircase. The post-modern building is immaculate with its shining marble walls and floors and streak-free floor-to-ceiling glass windows.
The architectural design of the building stands out in downtown Ottawa’s concrete jungle. On top of Tower I, also known as the TD Tower, a four-metre-wide, illuminated ball moves from one end of the arched roof to the other during the day and back over at night, helping watch-less Ottawans tell time.
The 20-storey Tower I, accessible from the O’Connor Street entrance, was designed by Brisbin Brook Beynon Architects and opened in 1991. Ten years later, Tower II opened at the Queen Steet entrance.