Groupe MACH, one of Canada’s leading private real estate owners and developers, now has a significant presence in the National Capital Region, after having purchased several commercial and residential complexes in Ottawa, Nepean, Kanata and Gatineau.
“One of our goals is to help revitalize the downtown core. In order to achieve that, we need to have people living and working in the same space,” says Abdulrahman Alshowaier, MACH’s senior vice-president of development and construction, who notes that the past few years, since the COVID-19 pandemic shifted work patterns from office to home, have been tough on the city.
The Montreal-based company, which was incorporated in 2000 and is celebrating its silver anniversary in business in 2025, has a total portfolio of about 250 buildings comprising some 45 million square feet across Quebec, Ontario and Nova Scotia.
MACH’s most recent local projects are at 110 O’Connor Street and 77 Metcalfe Street in Ottawa and 150 rue Wellington in Gatineau (Hull).
The new 26-story, 415-unit building at 110 O’Connor Street, built by MACH, will convert office space to residential space.
“It will be a complete conversion,” says Alshowaier. “We’re pulling down the existing building, and putting in a more vibrant, modern building that will shift the overall landscape of the downtown core and encourage more people to be downtown.”
The municipal approval process has been completed and MACH has begun demolition of the existing building. The anticipated timeline for completion is by the end of 2027.
It is in a prime location, about an eight-minute walk from Parliament Hill, in the centre of downtown. The building will have a nice rooftop lounge with a terrace that overlooks the city skyline, including an excellent view of Parliament Hill and the Ottawa River. There will also be a fitness centre and a lounge, explains Alshowaier.
The existing building at 77 Metcalfe Street will also be converted from office use to residential space in a new 23-storey structure with approximately 241 units.
“We’re working hard with all the stakeholders involved to advance this project, and we’re planning to start the demolition and construction in 2026, hopefully before, depending on how we advance with all the municipal approvals,” says Alshowaier, who notes that the demolition and rebuild is expected to take 30 months, with completion in 2028.
“We put a big emphasis on the podium of the building, in order to make it more humanly scaled to welcome people, because we’re going to have a retail zone on the ground floor,” says Alshowaier, adding that the building will also house a wellness facility and a big lounge on the second floor for residents to accommodate a large gathering, as well as a rooftop lounge.
On the Gatineau side of the Ottawa River, MACH is hoping to begin work on its mixed-use 16-story building at 150 rue Wellington, located in the Vieux-Hull district, in the second half of 2025, once municipal approval is obtained, with completion expected at the end of 2027 or beginning of 2028.
The location is ideal, says Alshowaier, because it is near two bridges, the Chaudiere and Portage, leading into Ottawa, which is convenient for government employees who live in Ontario. The first floors will be commercial with large spaces available to companies. Residents will have access to a lounge and fitness centre.
Beyond revitalizing urban cores, sustainability is central to MACH’s approach. “As long-term owners and stewards of all our properties, we are deeply committed to integrating high-quality materials and sustainable systems that reduce environmental impact and ensure the longevity of our assets,” emphasizes Alshowaier, who notes that all of these projects aim to provide easy access to public transportation, support urban densification, and reinvigorate the downtown economy.
“At MACH, we believe that by investing in the future of our cities, we are not just developing buildings — we are building communities that will thrive for decades to come,” he adds.
This article first appeared in the Spring 2025 special “City Building” issue of the Ottawa Business Journal. That publication is available in its digital edition below:
