Newport-based structural engineering firm Cintec International has been using its patented anchoring system to help restore the West Block of Parliament in Canada, which is one of the largest rehabilitation projects in North America.

The firm has previously worked on various other projects in around the world including the Statue of Liberty, the Simpson Tower, The White House, the Egyptian Pyramids, Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace.

The West Block was constructed between 1860 and 1865. It is one of the three buildings on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario which forms the Parliamentary precinct.

In 1987 the building was damaged by a fire and major repair and restoration work has been carried out to ensure that these historic buildings continue to serve Canadians for many years.

The restoration of the West Block of Parliament is one of the largest rehabilitation projects in North America, costing $863m.

The renovated building re-opened on January 28, 2019.

Cintec, which was named Innovative Business of the Year at the inaugural South Wales Argus Business Awards last year, played a major role in the repair of the West Block using 10,000 anchors providing seismic and structural reinforcement of the building. More than 200 masons worked on the building daily and the over all project is estimated to have created or sustained approximately 5,000 jobs.

Robert Lloyd Rees, CEO of Cintec North America, said: “The West Block restoration is just one example of the many projects that we have undertaken over the last decade, restoring some of North America’s most iconic and historical buildings using Cintec’s extremely successful patented anchoring system.”

Peter James, chairman of Cintec International, said: “Robert and his team’s recent completion of the West Block is testament to how we tailor make solutions to structural problems in historical buildings.

"The 19th century building was completely modernised with state-of-the-art facilities, while the heritage and character-defining elements were preserved with the utmost respect and sensitivity.”