Original plans for this historic, 1920's building were used as a model for the roof reconstruction, designed by DFS Architects in Montreal, in collaboration with local firm CBCL.

Lindsay's reinstatement of the dome began with stripping away the 25-year old Monel covering down to the original wood boards. Worn and rotted, the wood was repaired and covered with a blueskin membrane before hundreds of handcrafted copper pieces were installed to recreate the original look of the roof. Much of this work was done over the winter months, with wind chill adding to the technical challenge of curved and flat pieces meeting at the corners, converging to an elaborate finial at the apex.

The effort wasn't lost on Emery Peters, Project Manager, Public Works and Government Services Canada. "I have heard nothing but praise about not only how the roof looks, but the quality. Not only is Public Works pleased, but the architects are too. A very commendable job."

This roofing project for Air Canada was extremely challenging for a multitude of reasons. The roofing crew was 80 ft. in the air, constantly battling the wind and elements. Also, this roof is scalloped, not flat, and has approximately 25-30 ft. radius between each peak so the crew was constantly working on a slope.

Workers on site also had to be sensitive to rigid security measures. Air Canada's Maintenance Manager, Mark Ballard, gave credit to the entire team. "Everything went very smoothly - from the foreman to the workers, they handled everything very well." He also commends the partnership between Lindsay and Byrne Architects as being a winning team. "It seems to be doing the trick. FleeceBack is a good, flexible application for this building."