Accessibility and inclusiveness are core design principles for the new Ottawa Public Library and Library and Archives Canada joint facility, designed by Diamond Schmitt.
In the 2018 film The Public, a group of homeless library patrons refuses to leave a downtown public library after closing time. A cold front has hit Cincinnati and the city?s emergency shelters are at capacity. Where else can they go"
While the film is set in Ohio, one can imagine similar situations elsewhere. Libraries have transitioned from being repositories for books to fulfilling a range of other roles: access points to digital media, maker-spaces, community hubs, and in downtown cores, sanctuaries for people living on the streets.
Canada?s recent central libraries are rising to the challenge of making libraries inclusive to a wide range of patrons. In the early design phase of Halifax?s Central Library, opened five years ago, FBM Architects and Schmidt Hammer Lassen, actively sought out recent immigrants for consultation. Their feedback helped shape elements such as the design of ESL classrooms?which are cozy and discreetly located, for the increased comfort of new-language learners.
Halifax?s library is also conceived to welcome vulnerable groups, balancing their needs with those of other library users. For instance, a ground floor area where many itinerants sit has plenty of glazing, allowing people to keep watch over bulkier possessions left outside. The children?s area has been strategically ...