International Architecture Awards Tell a friend
ARCHIVE 2024
International Architecture Awards
Architects: Shoalts and Zaback Architects Ltd.
Lead Architects: Gerry Shoalts and Eric Riddell
General Contractor: Steelcore Construction Ltd.
Client: Toronto Public Library
Photographers: Doublespace Photography, Krista Jahnke
The Carnegie Library on this site was constructed in 1916. It is one of the earliest examples of free public libraries in Toronto. While it is easy now to take the idea of a free public library for granted, the architects believe it is important to remember that the first public libraries were a result of a long, concerted community effort. In this project, they have celebrated and built on those previous accomplishments. In 1916, libraries were understood to be quiet sanctuaries for books and readers. Today libraries are more outward-focused and engaged with their communities. They are lively public spaces where everyone is welcome, and where you can meet others, make connections, and join events.
The architects like the metaphor of the “community kitchen”; the place where the party happens, where everyone wants to be. This project exemplifies core heritage conservation principles. They have established a respectful and complementary relationship between the heritage building and the contemporary addition. They restored and enhanced the heritage building. They designed the addition to re-establish the street presence of the original library and to clearly differentiate between the heritage building and the distinct yet complementary addition. They used a continuous skylight between the existing and the new construction to reinstate the daylight in the original interior spaces and to retain the original building as a separate three-dimensional object in the new composition. In the original design of the Wychwood Library, Eden Smith and Sons followed Arts and Crafts principles. In comparison to the typical public building of its time, its library was simple, well-proportioned, and stripped of unnecessary decorations. It had large well-lit interior spaces for books and readers. In addition, the design team took material and geometric cues from the original. They clad the addition in slate similar to the original slate roof along with board form concrete wall and curtain wall glazing.
The materials used in the addition, particularly the dark slate, emphasize the receding position. They used variations on the underlying geometry of the original to create a quiet façade to highlight both the red brick and simple yet intricate details of the original building and the contemporary library programs. As a result, in the daytime, the existing building has more presence. At night, with the exception of the main entrance, the existing building recedes and the addition, which glows like a beacon, steps forward inviting the community into the library. The original library entrance faced the main street, and the entrance was one-half level above grade. A previous project closed the original entry and obscured the relationship to the street. They lowered the grade slightly, reinstated the original entrance on the main street, and achieved full accessibility. They also used the project as an opportunity to contribute to the adjacent public realm. They sited the addition to establish a new public courtyard. They used board from concrete garden walls and plantings of native species to create a sheltered and safe space which is used by both library patrons and people passing by on the sidewalks. As part of the project they also designed improvements to the site to make the adjacent lawn bowling green fully accessible. They added a sheltered terrace and an accessible lawn bowling clubhouse.
The architects included a second-floor terrace in the library to provide an outdoor reading space as well as a place to watch the lawn bowling events. In the completed project the architects created one unified space that embodies both the history and the evolution of the library. They restored the clarity of the original as a quiet sanctuary with its book-lined halls and cozy fireplaces and they added a contemporary twin that is open to the street and new possibilities. In this project, they have integrated the best of both worlds.
