WINNER OF A 2015 CANADIAN ARCHITECT AWARD OF MERIT
A multicoloured terracotta tile screen surrounds the library, lifting like a curtain to welcome patrons in.
A fixture of Rexdale, Albion Library sits within a mix of low-rise buildings along a busy four-lane road, where it has played a vital role for many decades. Physically, it buffers a residential neighbourhood from a road and mall to the north. Programmatically, it offers patrons a wide range of services that go beyond lending?including cultural orientation, social integration, employment skills, and access to technology and knowledge. During consultations for a new library to take the existing one?s place, community members described the library as the ?Switzerland? of a troubled urban realm. While residents recognized that the existing building was no longer fit for its purpose, they were concerned about the closure that would be required to undertake a renovation. In response, the project team proposed to build a new library on the adjacent parking lot, allowing the existing building to remain open over the two years required for construction. Once the new library is complete, the existing building will be demolished and replaced with a landscaped parking lot that will double as a public space and market square.
The interior includes a large central lantern and three courtyard gardens that bring natural light and calming views of nature into the community-oriented space.
The design concept for the new building reflec...