A large Remembrance Day poppy will light up the windows of the top floors of Lovett Tower in Woden over the next few days to honour the more than 102,000 Australian service personnel who have died in wars and armed conflicts.
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A time-lapse video shows the installation on the south side of the building.
The poppy will be on display every evening until November 12.
Department of Veteran Affairs secretary Simon Lewis said the location of the installation was significant.
For more than 40 years, Veteran Affairs and the Repatriation Commission had served Australia's veterans from its Canberra headquarters in Lovett Tower.
"DVA's headquarters will move to the city in January 2016, so it is fitting that we mark the last official commemoration of the year and the end of an era for the department with a special tribute," he said.
The Flanders poppy has long been associated with commemorating Remembrance Day, Mr Lewis said.
"During the First World War, red poppies were among the first plants to spring up in the devastated battlefields of northern France and Belgium," he said.
"In this Anzac Centenary year, DVA continues to put considerable effort into educating Australians about our military history and encouraging communities to acknowledge and commemorate the service and sacrifice of all those men and women who have worn our nation's uniform."
At 11am on the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918, the guns on the Western Front fell silent, and the First World War was over. On the first anniversary of the armistice in 1919, on what was then known as Armistice Day, two minutes of silence were observed at the 11th hour to remember those who had died in the war.
"Each year, around the world, this tradition continues. On Remembrance Day 2015 in Canberra, I hope the poppy installation will encourage more members of the community, especially younger Australians, to reflect on the sacrifice of those who died for our nation and to observe this tradition," Mr Lewis said.
