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he Brits have the Palace of Westminster, the Indians have Sansad
Bhavan, and the Canadians have Parliament Hill in Ottawa, but
until now, our Jamaican parliament has had Gordon House on
Duke Street to carry out their legislative function. The building, built
in the 1960’s has become cramped and it has been decided that our
chosen leaders need a more practical space to craft Jamaica’s future.
Recently, the Government held a contest inviting local architects and
urban planners to create a home for parliament that is worthy of the
Jamaica of tomorrow. The Design Collaborative Architects and Town
Planners team, which consists of Evan Williams, Christopher Bent,
Damian Hines and Gregory Lake, emerged victorious. Their design for
the new parliament building, Out of Many, One People, is something
that could be found in any modern city, with its sharp, clean lines that
seamlessly become water and seep out into bright, lush vegetation,
is quite frankly, poetry to the eye. With its district-wide strategy for
water reuse and irrigation and its plan to target LEED certification, this
building is not only beautiful, it is visionary.
Seeing a structure such as this can’t help but inspire hope in the heart
of every proud Jamaican who gazes upon it. It turns out, that’s just what
the architects had in mind when they set out to design this historic
building. Members of the design team commented, “the bold circular
form assertively conveys the symbolic value of parliament while
successfully accommodating it’s functional requirements.” The team
hopes that their plans will allow space for contemplation, relaxation,
reflection and enjoyment for both citizens and parliamentarians alike.
According to the team, the community centric design is intended to
“stand as a reminder of how closely connected government is to its
citizens.”Out of Many, One People will lay its roots in the center of National
Heroes Park and is set for completion in 2023. The 140,000 square foot
structure will house both the Houses of Representatives and Senate
debate chambers along with executive and administrative program
space. Hopefully this awesome design will inspire even greater
prosperity for Jamaica Land We Love. ∆fromleft: Jason Scott, Christopher Bent, Gordon Gill, lead architect Evan Williams, The Prime Minister The Most Honourable Andrew Holness, Senator Ransford Braham, Gregory Lake,
Lydia Nelson, Damian Hines.
thispageandpreviousRenderings
of the winning design of the
new home of Parliment