The Government of Canada is working to safeguard critical infrastructure that is essential to national security. The government has decided to modernize its security and intelligence infrastructure by building the Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSEC) Long-Term Accommodation Project (LTAP) to house Canada’s national cryptologic agency. CSEC requires cutting-edge technology coupled with human creativity; collaboration is critical to increasing overall effectiveness. People, culture, technology and an enabling facility all play a significant role in achieving CSEC’s mission.

Expressive of the mission of CSEC, the iconic image of the LTAP is derived, in part, from the rationale behind an encryption key; a reflection of CSEC’s mission. The physical form is an architectural interpretation of a maple key, (the maple tree’s distinctively shaped seed), subtly reminiscent of the literal and symbolic importance of the maple to Canada. The design concept resides in mathematical ontology, and is the genesis of the geometrical form and layout of the “HUB,” the communal focus of the facility.

Within the HUB, the form, placement and articulation of various components, are derived from the same metaphysical concept: the rotation of a maple key as it falls to the ground. Just as man-made forms incorporate natural organizational metaphors into the design, so does the palette of finish materials. A rigorous, mathematical understanding of organic form and proportion – especially their movement in nature – are at the root of the HUB geometry, creating a seductive play of solid and void, light and shadow, straight and curved.

A large vaulted roof unifies various components of the facility into a cohesive, singular organic form. Enveloped by this distinctive shape, contrasting geometrical volumes housing specific functions comprise the main building. The footprint of the facility is sensitively integrated into the surrounding heavily wooded lot, consistent with CSEC’s vision for a collaborative work environment that engages the outdoors.