Sid Lee Architecture, Rosefellow and the Tsatas Group plan to develop office space in Montreal to woo the new NATO Defense, Security and Resilience Bank to the city.

The Canadian Press reported that the three firms have proposed dedicating several floors of a planned downtown tower to help Montreal winning the competition to the multinational bank’s headquarters. Canada won the right to serve as home of the bank, but the federal government has yet to select the city in which it will be based.

Sid Lee, Rosefellow and Tsatas Group hope the offer will strengthen Montreal’s bid against Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver.

“We want Montreal to stay in the running,” Martin Leblanc, co-founder of Sid Lee Architecture, said. “We’re going to give (Montreal) one more card to play.”

The firms’ proposed $200-million tower was originally designed as a hotel, but the developers say several floors could be converted into office space for the bank, according to CP. Construction would take approximately 36 months if the project proceeds.

The consortium argues Montreal offers a strong aerospace and defence ecosystem that would complement the bank’s mission, CP reported.

Pictured (: Proposed mixed-use tower in downtown Montreal that would house the new NATO Defence Bank.

Rendering: Sid Lee Architecture