SMACNA Project Spotlight video’s goal is to share and honor the projects of the people working in the skilled trades. Projects like the Ottawa Public Library require passionate people working hard every day to create something for their community to enjoy and be proud of when they enter the building or just pass it on their commute. With this video, people can see all the moving parts that go into a project like this as well as what makes this project unique compared to others, for the Ottawa Public Library it’s the curved structure. Ultimately, our videos can educate people about the processes that go into constructing buildings.
With this project, it goes beyond the construction. This project brought in multiple stakeholders and became a city landmark. When you’re working on something so significant, the stakes are high and the way the project is spoken about needs to be done with care. This is the energy we brought to the Ottawa Public Library project and in showcasing the work of Modern Niagara, our member. It also celebrates our association partnership with the Union, SMART. Highlighting both the contractor and the workforce offers a personal view of the relationships within the industry and how the people of the community are involved to make this historic landmark library a success.
With this project, we were covering a project that was being built on what the community considered to be sacred land. The Indigenous community in Ottawa has very specific ways of speaking about the importance of the land itself, and is also very involved in policies around the use of the land. That being said, one of the considerations we needed to make was how we were speaking about the project itself and the language we were using. We wanted to make sure we were being sensitive to the community, as well as inclusive in our coverage.
This construction project is serving as a new landmark within the city of Ottawa, and will have coverage from across the city and beyond, but our focus was to get personal with the Ottawa Public Library construction and find out about how it’s projected to impact the city. While working with the contractor to showcase the work, we make sure the voice – and the pride – of both the workforce and the Modern Niagara leadership is heard. When you’re telling the story of a landmark construction project such as this one, it’s crucial to make sure that the individuals who make up the workforce are brought in to share their stories and be given credit for their hard work and effort in the project. We feel we showcased that sense of community and coming together quite well.