Canada has launched a national design-and-build competition to restore and modernize 24 Sussex Drive, the official residence of the prime minister. The winning team will redesign the historic property while upgrading it to meet modern security and operational needs.

Prime Minister Mark Carney, launching the project on June 26, said the project will preserve its heritage character. He also announced a fundraising campaign to help reduce government costs.

The competition is open to eligible Canadian firms. The winning proposal will be announced by Canada Day 2027, and the selected team will handle both design and construction.

The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) will advise on the competition framework. An independent jury composed of Canadian experts in architecture, heritage conservation, and design will recommend the winning design to the cabinet. Renowned architect Moshe Safdie will chair the jury, with the other members being Carol Bélanger, Nicolas Demers-Stoddart, Omar Gandhi, Mamie Griffith, Patricia Kell, and Brigitte Shim.

Cap on donations

The Rideau Hall Foundation (RHF) will lead the national fundraising campaign to cover all or most of the project’s costs. The foundation will cap donations and publish the names of all donors. Only individual Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and philanthropic organizations can donate.

The RHF is an independent, non-partisan charitable organization that has led major fundraising campaigns.

“The future of our institutions depends on us leaving them better than we found them. We will restore 24 Sussex Drive to a standard worthy of the country it serves,” Carney said.

There is no cost estimate for the project yet. Carney said the final cost will depend on the specifications submitted by competing design teams. “I don’t want to be too forward on what the budget is for this. In many respects, that’s part of the competition,” he said.

Since 2015, Canadian prime ministers and their families have lived at Rideau Cottage, the former residence of the secretary to the governor general. Built in 1868, 24 Sussex Drive became federal property in 1949 and was renovated the following year to serve as the prime minister’s official residence.