The Queen Elizabeth II Building , previously known as the Federal Public Building , is an eleven-storey Art Deco building in downtown Edmonton, Alberta . Built with granite and Tyndall stone , the building is located in the northeast corner of the Alberta Legislature grounds, overlooking the Violet King Henry Plaza. It hosts provincial government employees and Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA), and is considered one of Edmonton's most significant modern buildings.
114-486: Designed in 1939 by a local architect, the building's construction was delayed by the outbreak of World War II , and took place from 1955 to 1958. It was originally owned by the Government of Canada and hosted its offices for Western Canada until 1988, when the government relocated its staff to Canada Place . The Government of Alberta acquired the property in 1983, anticipating the relocation; it sat vacant following
228-659: A Neutrality Pact in April 1941, and Japan adopted the doctrine of Nanshin-ron , promoted by the Navy, which took its focus southward and eventually led to war with the United States and the Western Allies. In Europe, Germany and Italy were becoming more aggressive. In March 1938, Germany annexed Austria , again provoking little response from other European powers. Encouraged, Hitler began pressing German claims on
342-578: A cautious French probe into the Saarland . The Western Allies also began a naval blockade of Germany , which aimed to damage the country's economy and war effort. Germany responded by ordering U-boat warfare against Allied merchant and warships, which would later escalate into the Battle of the Atlantic . On 8 September, German troops reached the suburbs of Warsaw . The Polish counter-offensive to
456-475: A budget of $ 356 million and an estimated completion date in 2011. Overseen by the Edmonton-based firm Kasian Architecture, the project began in 2010 and finished in 2015 at an estimated cost of $ 403 million. The renovations included the addition of an eleventh floor and an expansion of the property's plaza and recreational spaces for the general public. Provincial government staff and MLAs began moving into
570-463: A fireplace, a powder room and a butler’s pantry"—had been revised. The space was transformed into meeting rooms and a conference hall. Nedlaw Living Walls, the company that built the living wall in the federal building's atrium lobby in 2014—a multi-level, 220-square-metre (2,400 sq ft) plant display—which served as a focal point for visitors and as a biofilter for the building's heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, won
684-409: A metal part. Parts to be plated must be clean and free of dirt, corrosion, and defects before plating can begin. To clean and protect the part during the plating process, a combination of heat treating , cleaning, masking, pickling , and etching may be used. Once the piece has been prepared it is immersed into an electrolyte solution and is used as the cathode . The nickel anode is dissolved into
798-524: A pretext to initiate the invasion. The first German attack of the war came against the Polish defences at Westerplatte . The United Kingdom responded with an ultimatum for Germany to cease military operations, and on 3 September, after the ultimatum was ignored, Britain and France declared war on Germany. During the Phoney War period, the alliance provided no direct military support to Poland, outside of
912-781: A pretext to worsen relations. On 29 August, Hitler demanded that a Polish plenipotentiary immediately travel to Berlin to negotiate the handover of Danzig , and to allow a plebiscite in the Polish Corridor in which the German minority would vote on secession. The Poles refused to comply with the German demands, and on the night of 30–31 August in a confrontational meeting with the British ambassador Nevile Henderson , Ribbentrop declared that Germany considered its claims rejected. On 1 September 1939, Germany invaded Poland after having staged several false flag border incidents as
1026-463: A private caucus room on the tenth floor that cost $ 84,265, a $ 40,000 cabinet table, and a "new $ 602,000 main staircase". The new foyer was a glass atrium pavilion with a living wall and a living roof. A granite plaza which included water fountains, green spaces and gardens—now known as Violet King Henry Plaza—was built to extend the Legislature grounds to 99 Avenue and to increase public spaces at
1140-475: A secret protocol that defined German and Soviet "spheres of influence" (western Poland and Lithuania for Germany; eastern Poland , Finland, Estonia , Latvia and Bessarabia for the Soviet Union), and raised the question of continuing Polish independence. The pact neutralised the possibility of Soviet opposition to a campaign against Poland and assured that Germany would not have to face the prospect of
1254-774: A similar pact and rejected ceding part of its territory to the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union invaded Finland in November 1939, and was subsequently expelled from the League of Nations for this crime of aggression. Despite overwhelming numerical superiority, Soviet military success during the Winter War was modest, and the Finno-Soviet war ended in March 1940 with some Finnish concessions of territory . In June 1940,
SECTION 10
#17328009485711368-508: A steel frame, was made with Tyndall stone from Manitoba and granite. The interior of the building was finished with six different kinds of marble some of which came from England and France. It was considered to be one of the most significant modern buildings in Edmonton and a unique example of Art Deco architecture. The Federal Building was originally designed in 1939, by a prominent local architect George Heath MacDonald, but its construction
1482-531: A two-front war, as it had in World War I. Immediately afterwards, Hitler ordered the attack to proceed on 26 August, but upon hearing that the United Kingdom had concluded a formal mutual assistance pact with Poland and that Italy would maintain neutrality, he decided to delay it. In response to British requests for direct negotiations to avoid war, Germany made demands on Poland, which served as
1596-459: Is important, and a high luster is not required. Type of the added brighteners and their concentrations determine the deposit appearance: brilliant, bright, semi-bright, satin. Sulfamate nickel plating is used for many engineering applications. It is deposited for dimensional corrections, abrasion and wear resistance, high efficiency coating and corrosion protection. It is also used as an undercoat for chromium. All-chloride solutions allow for
1710-694: Is used for decorative and military purposes and does not offer much protection. Decorative bright nickel is used in a wide range of applications. It offers a high luster finish, corrosion protection, and wear resistance. In the automotive industry bright nickel can be found on bumpers , rims, exhaust pipes and trim. It is also used for bright work on bicycles and motorcycles . Other applications include hand tools and household items such as lighting and plumbing fixtures , wire racks, firearms , and appliances . Modern coating technology makes deposited nickel to appear mirror-bright with no need of polishing, multi-layer applications are frequently used to improve
1824-604: The Anglo-German Naval Agreement and the German–Polish declaration of non-aggression . The situation became a crisis in late August as German troops continued to mobilise against the Polish border. On 23 August the Soviet Union signed a non-aggression pact with Germany, after tripartite negotiations for a military alliance between France, the United Kingdom, and Soviet Union had stalled. This pact had
1938-689: The British Empire , with fighting in the Balkans , Mediterranean, and Middle East , the aerial Battle of Britain and the Blitz , and naval Battle of the Atlantic . Through a series of campaigns and treaties, Germany took control of much of continental Europe and formed the Axis alliance with Italy , Japan , and other countries. In June 1941, Germany led the European Axis in an invasion of
2052-615: The Empire State Building built in 1930–1931, and the 1930 Chrysler Building , both located in New York City . In the 1950s, MacDonald "only slightly updated" the design which meant that the federal building was "one of the last Art Deco interiors built anywhere." The federal building lobby is "inset with marble and nickel-plated metal works to create one of the liveliest Art Deco interiors in Alberta". The building
2166-581: The German Revolution of 1918–1919 , and a democratic government, later known as the Weimar Republic , was created. The interwar period saw strife between supporters of the new republic and hardline opponents on both the political right and left. Italy, as an Entente ally, had made some post-war territorial gains; however, Italian nationalists were angered that the promises made by the United Kingdom and France to secure Italian entrance into
2280-853: The German invasion of Poland and the United Kingdom and France 's declaration of war on Germany two days later on 3 September 1939. Dates for the beginning of the Pacific War include the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War on 7 July 1937, or the earlier Japanese invasion of Manchuria , on 19 September 1931. Others follow the British historian A. J. P. Taylor , who stated that the Sino-Japanese War and war in Europe and its colonies occurred simultaneously, and
2394-576: The Italian mainland , and Allied offensives in the Pacific—cost the Axis powers their initiative and forced them into strategic retreat on all fronts. In 1944, the Western Allies invaded German-occupied France at Normandy , while the Soviet Union regained its territorial losses and pushed Germany and its allies westward. At the same time, Japan suffered reversals in mainland Asia, while the Allies crippled
SECTION 20
#17328009485712508-553: The Japanese Navy and captured key islands . The war in Europe concluded with the liberation of German-occupied territories ; the invasion of Germany by the Western Allies and the Soviet Union, culminating in the fall of Berlin to Soviet troops; Hitler's suicide ; and the German unconditional surrender on 8 May 1945 . Following the refusal of Japan to surrender on the terms of the Potsdam Declaration ,
2622-695: The League of Nations as a force to preserve peace. Both Italy and Ethiopia were member nations, but the League did little when the former clearly violated Article X of the League's Covenant . The United Kingdom and France supported imposing sanctions on Italy for the invasion, but the sanctions were not fully enforced and failed to end the Italian invasion. Italy subsequently dropped its objections to Germany's goal of absorbing Austria . When civil war broke out in Spain, Hitler and Mussolini lent military support to
2736-731: The Nationalist rebels , led by General Francisco Franco . Italy supported the Nationalists to a greater extent than the Nazis: Mussolini sent more than 70,000 ground troops, 6,000 aviation personnel, and 720 aircraft to Spain. The Soviet Union supported the existing government of the Spanish Republic . More than 30,000 foreign volunteers, known as the International Brigades , also fought against
2850-690: The Rome–Berlin Axis . A month later, Germany and Japan signed the Anti-Comintern Pact , which Italy joined the following year. The Kuomintang (KMT) party in China launched a unification campaign against regional warlords and nominally unified China in the mid-1920s, but was soon embroiled in a civil war against its former Chinese Communist Party (CCP) allies and new regional warlords . In 1931, an increasingly militaristic Empire of Japan , which had long sought influence in China as
2964-619: The Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers . Nearly all the world's countries —including all the great powers —participated, with many investing all available economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities in pursuit of total war , blurring the distinction between military and civilian resources. Tanks and aircraft played major roles , with
3078-590: The Soviet–Japanese Neutrality Pact in April 1941. By contrast, the Germans were steadily making preparations for an attack on the Soviet Union, massing forces on the Soviet border. Hitler believed that the United Kingdom's refusal to end the war was based on the hope that the United States and the Soviet Union would enter the war against Germany sooner or later. On 31 July 1940, Hitler decided that
3192-598: The Stresa Front in April 1935 in order to contain Germany, a key step towards military globalisation ; however, that June, the United Kingdom made an independent naval agreement with Germany, easing prior restrictions. The Soviet Union, concerned by Germany's goals of capturing vast areas of Eastern Europe , drafted a treaty of mutual assistance with France. Before taking effect, though, the Franco-Soviet pact
3306-709: The Sudetenland , an area of Czechoslovakia with a predominantly ethnic German population. Soon the United Kingdom and France followed the appeasement policy of British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and conceded this territory to Germany in the Munich Agreement , which was made against the wishes of the Czechoslovak government, in exchange for a promise of no further territorial demands. Soon afterwards, Germany and Italy forced Czechoslovakia to cede additional territory to Hungary, and Poland annexed
3420-707: The Tanggu Truce was signed in 1933. Thereafter, Chinese volunteer forces continued the resistance to Japanese aggression in Manchuria , and Chahar and Suiyuan . After the 1936 Xi'an Incident , the Kuomintang and CCP forces agreed on a ceasefire to present a united front to oppose Japan. The Second Italo-Ethiopian War was a brief colonial war that began in October 1935 and ended in May 1936. The war began with
3534-579: The Trans-Olza region of Czechoslovakia. Although all of Germany's stated demands had been satisfied by the agreement, privately Hitler was furious that British interference had prevented him from seizing all of Czechoslovakia in one operation. In subsequent speeches Hitler attacked British and Jewish "war-mongers" and in January 1939 secretly ordered a major build-up of the German navy to challenge British naval supremacy. In March 1939, Germany invaded
Queen Elizabeth II Building - Misplaced Pages Continue
3648-558: The Treaty of Craiova . The loss of one-third of Romania's 1939 territory caused a coup against King Carol II, turning Romania into a fascist dictatorship under Marshal Ion Antonescu , with a course set towards the Axis in the hopes of a German guarantee. Meanwhile, German-Soviet political relations and economic co-operation gradually stalled, and both states began preparations for war. In April 1940, Germany invaded Denmark and Norway to protect shipments of iron ore from Sweden , which
3762-749: The United Kingdom and France to declare war on Germany. Poland was divided between Germany and the Soviet Union under the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact , in which they had agreed on " spheres of influence " in Eastern Europe. In 1940, the Soviets annexed the Baltic states and parts of Finland and Romania . After the fall of France in June 1940, the war continued mainly between Germany and
3876-539: The University of Guelph 's Controlled Environments Systems research facility led by a team led by Alan Darlington. It integrates both bio-filtration technology—which breaks down "air pollutants into benign components" and phytoremediation , through which plants "restore a contaminated environment." When he accepted the 2016 North American Cities Alive Conference's Interior Green Wall Award of Excellence, Darlington said that, this "biofilter actively removes pollutants from
3990-709: The Wehrmacht rapidly advanced to the Channel and cut off the Allied forces in Belgium, trapping the bulk of the Allied armies in a cauldron on the Franco-Belgian border near Lille. The United Kingdom was able to evacuate a significant number of Allied troops from the continent by early June, although they had to abandon almost all their equipment. On 10 June, Italy invaded France , declaring war on both France and
4104-630: The aftermath of World War I and the rise of fascism in Europe and militarism in Japan . Key events leading up to the war included Japan's invasion of Manchuria , the Spanish Civil War , the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War , and Germany's annexations of Austria and the Sudetenland . World War II is generally considered to have begun on 1 September 1939, when Nazi Germany , under Adolf Hitler , invaded Poland , prompting
4218-543: The nickel ammonium chloride solution (1868), in the process establishing the anode construction in the form of a platinum basket filled with nickel pieces, Edward Weston initiated the use of boric acid (patent issued in 1878), Bancroft figured out the role of chlorides in dissolving the anode (1906). Finally, Oliver P. Watts in 1916 established the Watts bath , variations of which are still widely used for decorative plating, with sulfamate solutions challenging it in
4332-479: The reunification of East and West Germany to take place and resolved most post–World War II issues. No formal peace treaty between Japan and the Soviet Union was ever signed, although the state of war between the two countries was terminated by the Soviet–Japanese Joint Declaration of 1956 , which also restored full diplomatic relations between them. World War I had radically altered
4446-498: The "$ 356 million Federal Building and Centennial Plaza (now known as Violet King Henry Plaza) renovation and redevelopment project" that started in 2009, blended the future with Alberta's history. It would preserve the "history and beauty of an architectural landmark", and—along with the creation of the Centennial Plaza—would transform the legislature grounds into a year-round appealing public space for all Albertans. Because of
4560-415: The "sky palace" in mid-January 2014. However, an August 2014 Auditor General report revealed that the "penthouse ordered by Redford [had] continued to be built with the same layout and finishing she originally ordered" as of August 2014. The City of Edmonton confirmed in 2014 that the building permit allowed the eleventh floor space to be used as residential. The Department of Infrastructure continued to build
4674-425: The 2016 North American Cities Alive Conference's Interior Green Wall Award of Excellence for the living wall in the federal building. The green wall , and the renovation project in general, was built under the direction of Kasian Architects. The technology behind the green wall was the result of research on methods for recycling air in space stations, funded by space agencies in both Canada and Europe, and undertaken at
Queen Elizabeth II Building - Misplaced Pages Continue
4788-466: The Allies were attempting to cut off . Denmark capitulated after six hours , and despite Allied support , Norway was conquered within two months. British discontent over the Norwegian campaign led to the resignation of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain , who was replaced by Winston Churchill on 10 May 1940. On the same day, Germany launched an offensive against France . To circumvent
4902-538: The Auditor General of Alberta. Under Redford's new administration significant changes were made in the use of space on the eleventh floor, from "open hosting for government caucus to a premier's suite" which included changing the original design and incurring additional costs. The premier's office contacted the Kasian Architecture firm directly to discuss the provision of "residential functions" on
5016-400: The Axis war against the Soviet Union, in Romania's case partially to recapture territory ceded to the Soviet Union . In early June 1940, the Italian Regia Aeronautica attacked and besieged Malta , a British possession. From late summer to early autumn, Italy conquered British Somaliland and made an incursion into British-held Egypt . In October, Italy attacked Greece , but the attack
5130-421: The Blitz , but largely ended in May 1941 after failing to significantly disrupt the British war effort. Using newly captured French ports, the German Navy enjoyed success against an over-extended Royal Navy , using U-boats against British shipping in the Atlantic . The British Home Fleet scored a significant victory on 27 May 1941 by sinking the German battleship Bismarck . In November 1939,
5244-405: The European Axis declaring war on the US. Japan conquered much of coastal China and Southeast Asia , but its advances in the Pacific were halted in mid-1942 after its defeat in the naval Battle of Midway ; Germany and Italy were defeated in North Africa and at Stalingrad in the Soviet Union. Key setbacks in 1943—including German defeats on the Eastern Front, the Allied invasions of Sicily and
5358-410: The French possessions of Syria and Lebanon , assisted by the Free French . With the situation in Europe and Asia relatively stable, Germany, Japan, and the Soviet Union made preparations for war. With the Soviets wary of mounting tensions with Germany, and the Japanese planning to take advantage of the European War by seizing resource-rich European possessions in Southeast Asia , the two powers signed
5472-426: The Germans, and the last large operational unit of the Polish Army surrendered on 6 October . Despite the military defeat, Poland never surrendered; instead, it formed the Polish government-in-exile and a clandestine state apparatus remained in occupied Poland. A significant part of Polish military personnel evacuated to Romania and Latvia; many of them later fought against the Axis in other theatres of
5586-450: The Nationalists. Both Germany and the Soviet Union used this proxy war as an opportunity to test in combat their most advanced weapons and tactics. The Nationalists won the civil war in April 1939; Franco, now dictator, remained officially neutral during World War II but generally favoured the Axis . His greatest collaboration with Germany was the sending of volunteers to fight on the Eastern Front . In July 1937, Japan captured
5700-452: The Royal Navy putting three Italian battleships out of commission after a carrier attack at Taranto , and neutralising several more warships at the Battle of Cape Matapan . Italian defeats prompted Germany to deploy an expeditionary force to North Africa; at the end of March 1941, Rommel 's Afrika Korps launched an offensive which drove back Commonwealth forces. In less than a month, Axis forces advanced to western Egypt and besieged
5814-423: The Soviet Union occupied the entire territories of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, as well as the Romanian regions of Bessarabia, Northern Bukovina, and the Hertsa region . In August 1940, Hitler imposed the Second Vienna Award on Romania which led to the transfer of Northern Transylvania to Hungary. In September 1940, Bulgaria demanded Southern Dobruja from Romania with German and Italian support, leading to
SECTION 50
#17328009485715928-421: The Soviet Union , opening the Eastern Front and initially making large territorial gains. Japan aimed to dominate East Asia and the Asia-Pacific , and by 1937 was at war with the Republic of China . In December 1941, Japan attacked American and British territories in Southeast Asia and the Central Pacific , including Pearl Harbor in Hawaii , which resulted in the US and the UK declaring war against Japan, and
6042-418: The Soviet Union and Mongolia . The Japanese doctrine of Hokushin-ron , which emphasised Japan's expansion northward, was favoured by the Imperial Army during this time. This policy would prove difficult to maintain in light of the Japanese defeat at Khalkin Gol in 1939, the ongoing Second Sino-Japanese War and ally Nazi Germany pursuing neutrality with the Soviets. Japan and the Soviet Union eventually signed
6156-575: The Soviet Union should be eliminated and aimed for the conquest of Ukraine , the Baltic states and Byelorussia . However, other senior German officials like Ribbentrop saw an opportunity to create a Euro-Asian bloc against the British Empire by inviting the Soviet Union into the Tripartite Pact. In November 1940, negotiations took place to determine if the Soviet Union would join the pact. The Soviets showed some interest but asked for concessions from Finland, Bulgaria, Turkey, and Japan that Germany considered unacceptable. On 18 December 1940, Hitler issued
6270-402: The US dropped the first atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August. Faced with an imminent invasion of the Japanese archipelago , the possibility of further atomic bombings, and the Soviet declaration of war against Japan and its invasion of Manchuria , Japan announced its unconditional surrender on 15 August and signed a surrender document on 2 September 1945 , marking
6384-424: The United Kingdom and France guaranteed their support for Polish independence ; when Italy conquered Albania in April 1939, the same guarantee was extended to the Kingdoms of Romania and Greece . Shortly after the Franco - British pledge to Poland, Germany and Italy formalised their own alliance with the Pact of Steel . Hitler accused the United Kingdom and Poland of trying to "encircle" Germany and renounced
6498-489: The United Kingdom attacked on 3 July in an attempt to prevent its seizure by Germany. The air Battle of Britain began in early July with Luftwaffe attacks on shipping and harbours . The German campaign for air superiority started in August but its failure to defeat RAF Fighter Command forced the indefinite postponement of the proposed German invasion of Britain . The German strategic bombing offensive intensified with night attacks on London and other cities in
6612-401: The United Kingdom. The Germans turned south against the weakened French army, and Paris fell to them on 14 June. Eight days later France signed an armistice with Germany ; it was divided into German and Italian occupation zones , and an unoccupied rump state under the Vichy Regime , which, though officially neutral, was generally aligned with Germany. France kept its fleet, which
6726-473: The United States was assisting China and the Western Allies, and had amended the Neutrality Act to allow "cash and carry" purchases by the Allies. In 1940, following the German capture of Paris, the size of the United States Navy was significantly increased . In September the United States further agreed to a trade of American destroyers for British bases . Still, a large majority of the American public continued to oppose any direct military intervention in
6840-434: The Yellow River ; this manoeuvre bought time for the Chinese to prepare their defences at Wuhan , but the city was taken by October. Japanese military victories did not bring about the collapse of Chinese resistance that Japan had hoped to achieve; instead, the Chinese government relocated inland to Chongqing and continued the war. In the mid-to-late 1930s, Japanese forces in Manchukuo had sporadic border clashes with
6954-430: The air, generation over 1,500 cfm (700 litres per second) of virtual fresh air...That's enough 'fresh' air to supply two thirds of the needs of over 150 people. And this virtual fresh air is generated using up to 90 per cent less energy than conventional air treatment systems." In September 2020, Prasad Panda , the Minister of Infrastructure during the Premiership of Jason Kenney said that the annual maintenance costs of
SECTION 60
#17328009485717068-446: The anodes are insoluble. For example, plating the insides of steel pipes and fittings may require an insoluble anode. A hard nickel solution is used when a high tensile strength and hardness deposit is required. "Black nickel" is a dark coating that consists primarily of nickel sulfide and metallic zinc and nickel. It is typically plated on brass, bronze, or steel in order to produce a non-reflective surface. This type of plating
7182-555: The building in February 2015, with the Capital Plaza and other public spaces opening in summer that year. On August 5, 2022, the Government of Alberta was granted permission from Buckingham Palace to rename the Federal Building to the Queen Elizabeth II Building, in celebration of the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II . The building was not officially renamed until September 27, after the death of Elizabeth II , with Lieutenant Governor Salma Lakhani and Premier Jason Kenney in attendance. The original ten-storey building, which has
7296-405: The capital Nanking in December 1937. After the fall of Nanking, tens or hundreds of thousands of Chinese civilians and disarmed combatants were murdered by the Japanese . In March 1938, Nationalist Chinese forces won their first major victory at Taierzhuang , but then the city of Xuzhou was taken by the Japanese in May. In June 1938, Chinese forces stalled the Japanese advance by flooding
7410-403: The conflict well into 1941. In December 1940, Roosevelt accused Hitler of planning world conquest and ruled out any negotiations as useless, calling for the United States to become an " arsenal of democracy " and promoting Lend-Lease programmes of military and humanitarian aid to support the British war effort; Lend-Lease was later extended to the other Allies, including the Soviet Union after it
7524-665: The corrosion resistance of coated steel, zinc, copper, aluminum, and other metals. In order to prevent tarnishing, decorative electroplated nickel is typically coated with a thin layer of chromium . Engineering nickel is used where brightness is not desired. Non decorative applications provide wear and corrosion protection as well as low-stress buildups for dimensional recovery, nickel or its nickel alloys usually having matte or dull finish. The method can be used for making nanocomposite wear resistance coatings. Nickel electroforming has nickel plating applied for fabrication of nickel products. For example, nickel can be deposited onto
7638-410: The creation of a " New Roman Empire ". Adolf Hitler , after an unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the German government in 1923, eventually became the Chancellor of Germany in 1933 when Paul von Hindenburg and the Reichstag appointed him. Following Hindenburg's death in 1934, Hitler proclaimed himself Führer of Germany and abolished democracy, espousing a radical, racially motivated revision of
7752-434: The deposition of thick nickel coatings. They do this because they run at low voltages. However, the deposition has high internal stresses. A sulfate-chloride bath operates at lower voltages than a Watts bath and provide a higher rate of deposition. Although internal stresses are higher than the Watts bath, they are lower than that of an all-chloride bath. An all-sulfate solution is used for electro-depositing nickel where
7866-421: The directive to prepare for an invasion of the Soviet Union. Nickel electroplating Nickel electroplating is a technique of electroplating a thin layer of nickel onto a metal object. The nickel layer can be decorative, provide corrosion resistance, wear resistance, or used to build up worn or undersized parts for salvage purposes. Nickel electroplating is a process of depositing nickel onto
7980-616: The dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman, and Russian Empires. To prevent a future world war, the League of Nations was established in 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference . The organisation's primary goals were to prevent armed conflict through collective security, military, and naval disarmament , as well as settling international disputes through peaceful negotiations and arbitration. Despite strong pacifist sentiment after World War I , irredentist and revanchist nationalism had emerged in several European states. These sentiments were especially marked in Germany because of
8094-417: The economic climate in 2009 there were considerable cost savings on the Federal Building redevelopment project in 2010. Danyluk said in the 2010 Department of Infrastructure annual report, that was reviewed favourably by the Auditor General, Merwan N. Saher , that the Stelmach government was committed to adopting Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards in construction projects. Following
8208-439: The electrolyte to form nickel ions (Ni ). Just like in other electrodeposition processes, the ions travel through the solution and deposit on the cathode. The anode efficiency for nickel dissolution is close to 100%, unless the anode becomes passive due to problems with the process, in which case the efficiency drops to 0. The cathode efficiency depends on the process and varies between 90 and 97%. Due to this mismatch, during
8322-422: The eleventh floor, which included adding two side-by-side bedrooms with showers. Paula Simons described the addition as a $ 2.76 million "ultra-modern glass-walled" penthouse with its own dedicated elevator. The "sky palace", as it was dubbed, was intended as Redford's personal retreat. Redford resigned in March 2014 just before the "sky palace" was made public, under pressure from an "escalating spending scandal", and
8436-662: The end of May completed the German conquest of the Balkans. Partisan warfare subsequently broke out against the Axis occupation of Yugoslavia , which continued until the end of the war. In the Middle East in May, Commonwealth forces quashed an uprising in Iraq which had been supported by German aircraft from bases within Vichy-controlled Syria . Between June and July, British-led forces invaded and occupied
8550-511: The end of the war. World War II changed the political alignment and social structure of the world, and it set the foundation of international relations for the rest of the 20th century and into the 21st century. The United Nations was established to foster international cooperation and prevent conflicts, with the victorious great powers—China, France, the Soviet Union, the UK, and the US—becoming
8664-434: The engineering applications. A Watts bath , named for its inventor Oliver Patterson Watts , is an aqueous electrolyte solution for plating nickel from a nickel anode. It can deposit both bright and semi-bright nickel. Bright nickel is typically used for decorative purposes and corrosion protection. Semi-bright deposits are used for engineering applications where high corrosion resistance, ductility or electrical conductivity
8778-633: The federal building. Independent MLAs included Derek Fildebrandt who resigned from the UCP, Alberta Liberal MLA David Swann , Progressive Conservative MLA Richard Starke, who chose to not join the UCP, and Alberta Party MLA Greg Clark . Independent MLAs were often given the "smoking room" in the Alberta Legislature Annex Building as an office space. World War II Asia-Pacific Mediterranean and Middle East Other campaigns Coups World War II or
8892-631: The first step of what its government saw as the country's right to rule Asia , staged the Mukden incident as a pretext to invade Manchuria and establish the puppet state of Manchukuo . China appealed to the League of Nations to stop the Japanese invasion of Manchuria. Japan withdrew from the League of Nations after being condemned for its incursion into Manchuria. The two nations then fought several battles, in Shanghai , Rehe and Hebei , until
9006-405: The floor plans for the eleventh-floor suite based on the plans approved in 2012. The only change was related to the "planned use of space". It was to be used as a "meeting space rather than a residential space". By 2015, when the project was completed, Redford's original plans for the eleventh floor—which had included "bedrooms, bathrooms, a dining room, lounge area, room-by-room temperature controls,
9120-864: The former Chinese imperial capital of Peking after instigating the Marco Polo Bridge incident , which culminated in the Japanese campaign to invade all of China. The Soviets quickly signed a non-aggression pact with China to lend materiel support, effectively ending China's prior cooperation with Germany . From September to November, the Japanese attacked Taiyuan , engaged the Kuomintang Army around Xinkou , and fought Communist forces in Pingxingguan . Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek deployed his best army to defend Shanghai , but after three months of fighting, Shanghai fell. The Japanese continued to push Chinese forces back, capturing
9234-451: The grounds. The renovation added additional public elements such as the 80-seat theatre and a climate-controlled art gallery space. By the summer of 2014, the price of crude oil—including Alberta's benchmark Western Canadian Select —collapsed to near ten-year low prices, caused in part by a global oil glut . Against the backdrop of a dramatic decrease in oil revenues at a dramatic low, the cost of renovations had increased to $ 403 million. By
9348-525: The invasion of the Ethiopian Empire (also known as Abyssinia ) by the armed forces of the Kingdom of Italy ( Regno d'Italia ), which was launched from Italian Somaliland and Eritrea . The war resulted in the military occupation of Ethiopia and its annexation into the newly created colony of Italian East Africa ( Africa Orientale Italiana , or AOI); in addition it exposed the weakness of
9462-682: The latter enabling the strategic bombing of population centres and delivery of the only two nuclear weapons ever used in war. World War II was the deadliest conflict in history, resulting in 70 to 85 million deaths , more than half being civilians. Millions died in genocides , including the Holocaust of European Jews, as well as from massacres, starvation, and disease. Following the Allied powers' victory, Germany , Austria , Japan , and Korea were occupied, and war crimes tribunals were conducted against German and Japanese leaders . The causes of World War II included unresolved tensions in
9576-463: The living wall amounted to $ 70,000. Panda announced that the living wall would be removed and "replaced with sculptures as part of an ongoing upgrade of the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system." By the end of November, ahead of schedule, the wall had been dismantled because of a bug infestation. When the renovations were made in 2014, it was not anticipated that, by 2017, there would be four independent MLAs, who would need separate offices in
9690-410: The move, the Government of Alberta had purchased the building for $ 20.5 million in 1983. Though intended for re-use as provincial government offices, the building sat vacant following the relocation. A renovation announced by Infrastructure minister Lyle Oberg in 2006 failed to materialize after he was removed from his caucus ; a second renovation was announced by Premier Ed Stelmach in 2008, with
9804-502: The permanent members of its security council . The Soviet Union and the United States emerged as rival superpowers , setting the stage for the Cold War . In the wake of European devastation, the influence of its great powers waned, triggering the decolonisation of Africa and Asia . Most countries whose industries had been damaged moved towards economic recovery and expansion . World War II began in Europe on 1 September 1939 with
9918-465: The plans did not proceed. In 2008, then Premier Ed Stelmach announced the $ 356-million redevelopment plans, which included an underground parking lot for the 650 future tenants. In 2009, the Stelmach administration started the rejuvenation and construction project. It was expected that it would be completed by 2011 or 2012. Ray Danyluk , who was Stelmach's Minister of Infrastructure in 2010, said that
10032-462: The plating the nickel concentration in the solution and the pH will slowly rise. The process takes minutes to hours depending on the current density and the intended thickness of the plating. Nickel electroplating was developed in the first half of the 19th century, with notable experiments made by Golding Bird (1837) and nickel nitrate patent by Joseph Shore (1840). The first practical recipe, an aqueous solution of nickel and ammonium sulfates,
10146-589: The political European map with the defeat of the Central Powers —including Austria-Hungary , Germany , Bulgaria , and the Ottoman Empire —and the 1917 Bolshevik seizure of power in Russia , which led to the founding of the Soviet Union. Meanwhile, the victorious Allies of World War I , such as France, Belgium, Italy, Romania, and Greece, gained territory, and new nation-states were created out of
10260-599: The port of Tobruk . By late March 1941, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia signed the Tripartite Pact ; however, the Yugoslav government was overthrown two days later by pro-British nationalists. Germany and Italy responded with simultaneous invasions of both Yugoslavia and Greece , commencing on 6 April 1941; both nations were forced to surrender within the month. The airborne invasion of the Greek island of Crete at
10374-489: The relocation. Major renovations were undertaken starting from 2009, with offices opening for use in early 2015 and public spaces opening later that year. As of 2020, there are around 600 government employees and MLAs working in the building. The eleventh floor, which was added during the renovations, offers views of the "Alberta legislature, the North Saskatchewan River valley and the downtown skyline." It
10488-722: The remainder of Czechoslovakia and subsequently split it into the German Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia and a pro-German client state , the Slovak Republic . Hitler also delivered an ultimatum to Lithuania on 20 March 1939, forcing the concession of the Klaipėda Region , formerly the German Memelland . Greatly alarmed and with Hitler making further demands on the Free City of Danzig ,
10602-428: The renovations, the federal building was LEED Gold certified. Following the resignation of Premier Stelmach in October 2011, during the premiership of Alison Redford there was a succession of infrastructure ministers— Jeff Johnson (2011–2012), Wayne Drysdale (2012–2013), and Ric McIver (2013–2014). The project was the subject of an investigation and a 2014 Special Duty Report by the Auditor General of Alberta. By
10716-410: The significant territorial, colonial, and financial losses imposed by the Treaty of Versailles . Under the treaty, Germany lost around 13 percent of its home territory and all its overseas possessions , while German annexation of other states was prohibited, reparations were imposed, and limits were placed on the size and capability of the country's armed forces . The German Empire was dissolved in
10830-440: The size of the building was doubled, but the original Art Deco architecture remained largely unchanged. Prime Minister John Diefenbaker officially opened the building on March 8, 1958, following its completion; federal staff worked in its offices for the next thirty years. In 1988, the federal government relocated its staff to Canada Place in downtown Edmonton , following the new building's completion that year. In anticipation of
10944-477: The spring of 2012. Following the 2012 Alberta general election Redford named Wayne Drysdale as Minister of Infrastructure. In December 2013, during a cabinet reshuffle, Ric McIver replaced him. In May 2012, shortly after winning the election, Redford became involved in the provincially-owned federal building redevelopment plan for the tenth and eleventh floors, according to the August 2014 Special Duty Report by
11058-498: The start or prelude to World War II. The exact date of the war's end also is not universally agreed upon. It was generally accepted at the time that the war ended with the armistice of 15 August 1945 ( V-J Day ), rather than with the formal surrender of Japan on 2 September 1945, which officially ended the war in Asia . A peace treaty between Japan and the Allies was signed in 1951. A 1990 treaty regarding Germany's future allowed
11172-593: The strong Maginot Line fortifications on the Franco-German border, Germany directed its attack at the neutral nations of Belgium , the Netherlands , and Luxembourg . The Germans carried out a flanking manoeuvre through the Ardennes region, which was mistakenly perceived by the Allies as an impenetrable natural barrier against armoured vehicles. By successfully implementing new Blitzkrieg tactics,
11286-587: The time Premier Jim Prentice took office on September 15, 2014, the renovations were almost finished. While Manmeet Bhullar was Infrastructure Minister, during the Prentice administration—from the fall of 2014 until the 2015 dissolution of the Legislature—the project was completed. When Premier Alison Redford was sworn in in October 2011, following Stelmach's resignation, Jeff Johnson served as Redford's first Minister of Infrastructure from October 2011 until
11400-429: The time Redford left office in March 2014, under pressure from an "escalating spending scandal", the renovation project had been "dogged by cost overruns and controversy." Cost overruns included the removal of large quantities of asbestos, building reinforcements, as well as "new steel floor supports". In a January 2015 Edmonton Journal article, Paula Simons described some of the additions and changes, which included
11514-518: The two wars became World War II in 1941. Other proposed starting dates for World War II include the Italian invasion of Abyssinia on 3 October 1935. The British historian Antony Beevor views the beginning of World War II as the Battles of Khalkhin Gol fought between Japan and the forces of Mongolia and the Soviet Union from May to September 1939. Others view the Spanish Civil War as
11628-513: The war were not fulfilled in the peace settlement. From 1922 to 1925, the Fascist movement led by Benito Mussolini seized power in Italy with a nationalist, totalitarian , and class collaborationist agenda that abolished representative democracy, repressed socialist, left-wing, and liberal forces, and pursued an aggressive expansionist foreign policy aimed at making Italy a world power, promising
11742-475: The war. Germany annexed western Poland and occupied central Poland ; the Soviet Union annexed eastern Poland ; small shares of Polish territory were transferred to Lithuania and Slovakia . On 6 October, Hitler made a public peace overture to the United Kingdom and France but said that the future of Poland was to be determined exclusively by Germany and the Soviet Union. The proposal was rejected and Hitler ordered an immediate offensive against France, which
11856-512: The west halted the German advance for several days, but it was outflanked and encircled by the Wehrmacht . Remnants of the Polish army broke through to besieged Warsaw . On 17 September 1939, two days after signing a cease-fire with Japan , the Soviet Union invaded Poland under the supposed pretext that the Polish state had ceased to exist. On 27 September, the Warsaw garrison surrendered to
11970-707: The world order , and soon began a massive rearmament campaign . France, seeking to secure its alliance with Italy, allowed Italy a free hand in Ethiopia , which Italy desired as a colonial possession. The situation was aggravated in early 1935 when the Territory of the Saar Basin was legally reunited with Germany, and Hitler repudiated the Treaty of Versailles, accelerated his rearmament programme, and introduced conscription. The United Kingdom, France and Italy formed
12084-614: Was invaded by Germany. The United States started strategic planning to prepare for a full-scale offensive against Germany. At the end of September 1940, the Tripartite Pact formally united Japan, Italy, and Germany as the Axis powers . The Tripartite Pact stipulated that any country—with the exception of the Soviet Union—that attacked any Axis Power would be forced to go to war against all three. The Axis expanded in November 1940 when Hungary , Slovakia , and Romania joined. Romania and Hungary later made major contributions to
12198-413: Was delayed until long after World War II. In a 1987 book about architecture in Alberta, the building that finally opened in 1958, was described as "rather tired and instantly dated", designed by an architect heading into retirement based on plans that were almost twenty years old. In the 1930s, the building was part of a make-work project. The original design was inspired by architecture of the 1930s, such as
12312-476: Was invented by Böttger in 1843 and was in use for 70 years. The commercial success was achieved by Isaac Adams Jr. , whose patent for a solution of nickel ammonium sulfate , while similar to Böttger's, had neutral pH that made the process easier to control. Adams enjoyed a near-monopoly in nickel plating from 1869 to 1886, when the consumption of nickel for plating reached 135 tons. In the US, Remington tried to use
12426-547: Was officially renamed the Queen Elizabeth II Building on September 27, 2022. The Federal Public Building was first proposed in the 1930s to host the Government of Canada 's federal offices in Western Canada . A local architect designed its Art Deco architecture in 1939, but construction was delayed by World War II and by changes in governments and priorities. When construction began in 1955,
12540-456: Was postponed until the spring of 1940 due to bad weather. After the outbreak of war in Poland, Stalin threatened Estonia , Latvia , and Lithuania with military invasion, forcing the three Baltic countries to sign pacts allowing the creation of Soviet military bases in these countries; in October 1939, significant Soviet military contingents were moved there. Finland refused to sign
12654-412: Was replaced by Dave Hancock . Shortly after CBC broke the story about the "sky palace" in March 2014, Ric McIver , who had served as Redford's Infrastructure Minister since December 2013, said the plans for a residential suite were cancelled after he took over the ministry. He said that he had changed "residential construction" on the premier's suite to "meeting room construction," effectively "killing"
12768-772: Was repulsed with heavy Italian casualties; the campaign ended within months with minor territorial changes. To assist Italy and prevent Britain from gaining a foothold, Germany prepared to invade the Balkans, which would threaten Romanian oil fields and strike against British dominance of the Mediterranean. In December 1940, British Empire forces began counter-offensives against Italian forces in Egypt and Italian East Africa . The offensives were successful; by early February 1941, Italy had lost control of eastern Libya, and large numbers of Italian troops had been taken prisoner. The Italian Navy also suffered significant defeats, with
12882-620: Was required to go through the bureaucracy of the League of Nations, which rendered it essentially toothless. The United States, concerned with events in Europe and Asia, passed the Neutrality Act in August of the same year. Hitler defied the Versailles and Locarno Treaties by remilitarising the Rhineland in March 1936, encountering little opposition due to the policy of appeasement . In October 1936, Germany and Italy formed
12996-511: Was the last major project of MacDonald's "long and prolific career" starting as a draftsman in Nova Scotia, earning his architecture degree at McGill University , and working for H. A. Magoon architectural firm in Edmonton in 1911. It is LEED Gold certified. In 2006, during the premiership of Ralph Klein , then infrastructure minister Lyle Oberg announced the renovation of the building with an "unspecified budget". When Oberg left office,
#570429