Halifax Citadel National Historic Site

With the goal of reinvigorating the visitor experience at this National Historic Site, the Citadel chose to take advantage of a rare opportunity to reconsider its product offering, its operational model and how it might better achieve its goals in the context of capital reinvestment.

For that reason, in February 2014, Parks Canada contracted Lord Cultural Resources in association with Architecture 49 (formerly WHW Architects) and A.L. Arbic Consulting to develop a Master Plan for the site. The consultant team toured the site and facilitated a visioning workshop and the interview process to discuss issues and ideas generated. Additional research and analysis led to the development of a concept intended to enhance the summer and winter offerings at the site, build on its strengths and ameliorate its weaknesses.

In late 2015 Lord, along with designers Origin Studios and fabricators Kubik Inc. were awarded the contract to develop a new permanent exhibition for the Citadel, based on Lord’s Master Plan recommendations. The new Heritage Centre experience is intended to create a unique indoor draw for visitors, especially in the shoulder seasons and potentially in winter. This new experience will utilize original artifacts, immersive environments, and cutting-edge multimedia, to tell the history of the Citadel and the Halifax Defence Complex (HDC) in an emotionally and cognitively engaging, relevant, personalized, and immersive way so that Canadians and international visitors of all ages will find a reason to visit, return, and promote the Citadel to friends and family. The new exhibition will open in late 2017.