Expressing the mood of Canadian architecture of the late 1880s, the building has an impressive contrast against a background consisting of modern and postmodern architectural styles. The solidity of the exterior design of the building is caused by heavily-rusticated stone that was used in the construction of massive, thick walls. It is further emphasized by stone masonry, a cavernous door opening, deep window reveals, and bands of windows. The roof of the Canadian Blood Services building has multiple steeply pitched roofs, an ordinary element of the Romanesque Revival architecture which provided the ventilation to the building (Adams 206).