The architectural theme for the new home of the Canadian War Museum is Regeneration: nature ravaged by human acts of war inevitably survives, hybridizes, regenerates and prevails. From the healing process emerges hope.

The concept of Regeneration is manifested in a building that appears immersed by the surrounding landscape of the Ottawa River. Its low-lying forms hug the earth. Its gently sloping roof is covered with natural grasses and shrubs. A pedestrian walkway over the roof allows visitors to begin experiencing some of the Museum's multiple layers of meaning without even entering the building.

The 10,685 square-metre (115,000 square-foot) green roof is an effective and economical solution to storm water management and will provide significant energy savings and air pollution remediation when it opens in 2005.