PROJECT VISION |
An Extraordinary Building: Engine of the Library System |
“…A library, to modify the famous
metaphor of Socrates, should be the delivery room for the birth of ideas…”
-
Norman Cousins |
The
project involves the planning, design and construction of a new Central
branch of the Ottawa Public Library as the coordinating centre of the Ottawa
Public Library and a key civic focal point in Ottawa. The new central library is the one of the Ottawa
Public Library Board’s Strategic Directions in tandem with the maintenance
and development of library branches.
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“Information is the currency of
democracy.”
-
Thomas Jefferson |
The
genesis of this project reflects the efforts of the Ottawa Public Library
Board, the City of Ottawa, and Library and City staff to establish the best
alternative in building a central library that fully empowers the entire
Ottawa Public Library, a library worthy of a national capital and a city of
over 900,000.
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Based on several years of strategic planning and assessment on the part of the Library staff and the Library Board, the new central library was identified as a critical necessity to support much needed expansions in community gathering space, collection size, information technology infrastructure, and the delivery of system-wide services.
“Libraries are the custodians of
civilization.”
-
Barbara Conney |
Repeatedly
throughout the extensive planning process, the success of urban library
renewal projects in other large cities was cited as the catalyst for dramatic
increase in public utilization of Library services.
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The new central library will optimize access to
traditional services and collections and to new and emerging media and
technology. It will facilitate
community interaction in an expansive mix of informal and formal meeting
places, and provide dynamic and meaningful educational, cultural, and social
experiences for children, teens, adults and seniors.
“Our links to the past, our bonds with
the present, our path to a civilized tomorrow, are all maintained by
libraries.”
-
Adrienne Clarkson |
In
addition, a new central library will fulfill the critical symbolic, civic,
and community role now played by major urban libraries. The building will be
a permanent addition to the civic and urban landscape of the City of Ottawa,
and catalyst for significant new growth and development.
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The project will enable the City of Ottawa to participate as an international capital in the renaissance in library construction that has taken place in recent years, with new or planned new central libraries in Vancouver, Winnipeg, Montreal, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Prague, Singapore, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, San Antonio, San Diego, Seattle, Nashville, Austin, Halifax, and Calgary.
The central library will be a local, regional,
national and international destination and an invaluable resource and
inspiration for current and future generations.
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description of work performed |
Between
October 2006 and October 2008, Resource Planning Group undertook seven
interrelated projects for the City of Ottawa. |
These
projects are:
Volume 1: Central Library Project Parameters;
Volume 2: Central Library Functional Program;
Volume 3: Central Library Space Data;
Volume 4: Library and Archives Synergy and Co-location Study;
Volume 5: Archives Project Parameters;
Volume 6: Library and Archives Technical Services Facility Functional
Program; and
Volume 7: Library and Archives Technical Services Facility Space Data.
Volumes
1 and 5 (Project Parameters) were begun initially, followed by Volume 4
(Synergy and Co-location Study), then Volumes 2 and 6 (Functional Programs),
followed by Volume 3 and volume 7 (Space Data). There were many overlaps in the assembly processes.
Volume 2: Central Library Functional Program
Based on recommendations brought forward in the Synergy and
Co-location Study, work on the Functional Program began in September 2007.
Meetings were held with Library staff to develop
functional program information between September 2007 and early June 2008. Participation in these meetings involved a
series of user groups comprised of Library staff, organized to reflect the
proposed functional organization of the new building.
Each user group meeting was followed by the
development of draft Functional Program documentation, with succeeding drafts
involving increasing levels of detail.
Each draft was submitted
to the user groups and steering committee for review and comment.
All project documentation was then compiled and organized into a final Functional Program document and submitted to the Library in November 2008.
Aggregate
functional program information was subsequently forwarded to a cost consultant
to develop capital cost estimates for the project.
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PROGRAM
PURPOSE “To a historian,
libraries are food, shelter and even muse.
They are of two kinds: the library of published material, books,
pamphlets, and periodicals, and the archive of unpublished papers and
documents.” - Barbara Tuchman |
The Functional Program provides a comprehensive description of the future building. Its information is fully integrated from the level of overarching concepts to individual details. It is a multi-functional document, with nine primary purposes: ·
To provide a bold, articulated vision of a
building that must be once imaginative, practical and symbolically important
to future generations of the City of Ottawa; |
·
To provide the City of Ottawa with a complete vision of
the future Central Library facility, including optimal urban, transportation,
and community interfaces, in order that the project be fully integrated with, and
contribute optimally to, city planning and development objectives;
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“But although technology is vastly changing
their roles, libraries are still seen as “trusted agents” and their role as
navigators of the Internet will be critical to everyday life and the future
economy.” - Stephen Abram |
·
To provide the City of Ottawa with an
understanding of the general scale and layout of the proposed facility, the
urban context required by Central library activities, and the civil and
technical infrastructures required to support those activities, fin order
that a suitable location and site might be identified for the building; |
·
To provide the City of Ottawa and the Ottawa Public
Library Board with a detailed and comprehensive body of information on which to
base civic financial planning and budgeting initiatives;
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“There is not such a
cradle of democracy upon the earth as the Free Public Library, this republic
of letters, where neither rank, office, nor wealth receives the slightest
consideration.” - Andrew Carnegie |
· To provide the Ottawa Public Library Board, The Ottawa Public Library Foundation, and the Friends of the Ottawa Public Library with a detailed and comprehensive rationale that will inspire successful fundraising activities; ·
To provide the approving and funding
authorities and the Ottawa community with a detailed description of the role
and services of the Central Library and the scale and scope of facilities and
infrastructures needed to accommodate them; |
·
To provide the Real Property and Asset Management department
of the City of Ottawa with a clear description of general and specific design
objectives, functional and technical concepts, and the process which
project-related architectural and technical services must be delivered;
·
To provide the architectural design team with an
understanding of design objectives of the Central Library project and the
functional criteria to be addressed during the schematic and detailed stages of
the architectural design process; and
·
To provide Library staff with a reference manual from
which to discuss and evaluate design schemes, to develop administrative and
organizational policies for the new facility and to plan for its commissioning,
operation and evaluation.
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CENTRAL
LIBRARY FACTS “Libraries are
places to learn-places in which to become knowledgeable. They also provide entertainment,
serendipity, the opportunity to find out about a host of practical matters,
and all the treasures of the human mind.” Crawford and Gorman |
Collection: 709,100 items Computer and Technology Workstations: 690 Public Seats: 2,157 Staffing: 274.41 full time equivalents Building Size: 345,600 gross square feet Capital Cost: Total Project Costs (estimated) TBD Base Construction Cost: TBD Contingencies: TBD Soft Costs: TBD Escalation: TBD Total: TBD 300 car underground parking lot Additional
TBD (estimated) |
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CENTRAL
LIBRARY PRINCIPLES AND CONCEPTS “Even the most
misfitting child “Hear it Again”, New Library:
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Key concepts for the
central library include: Create an Urban Focal PointEstablish
the central library as a major feature of downtown urban life, including
pronounced visibility, striking architectural imagery, multi-purpose exterior
space, and readily accessible, gathering and exhibit spaces. Integrate the
building with major transportation routes and establish the Library as a
major city destination. |
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“The benefit of
information technology is that it empowers people to do what they want to
do. It lets people be creative. It lets people be productive. It lets people learn things they didn’t
think they could learn before, and so it is all about potential.” - Steve Ballmer |
Establish a Major Cultural Destination Include the City of Ottawa Heritage Gateway as a cultural focal point providing showcase exhibits explaining the City, its history and its constituent communities. Be a
Catalyst for Urban Development |
Plan and design the building to act as a catalyst
for meaningful growth and development of the surrounding area.
Emphasize the Community Forum
The
building will support the library’s role as a public forum for the City of
Ottawa. Locate a major indoor
concourse, with
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“The public library
is really a kind of temple, and it ministers to the needs of the spirit as
much as it does to the requirements of our minds.” - Adrienne
Clarkson |
support services and auditorium/meeting room facilities, at the front door to the Library, adjacent to surrounding streets and sidewalks. Ensure access is independent of library operations. Plan for a Highly
Active Building Anticipate a building
that is highly active; assume that there will be noise and activity except in
areas uniquely designed to be quiet. |
Plan for Print and
Digital Information
Digital storage, display, and communications
technology has exponentially expanded the traditional scope of library
services. The modern library is now a critical element in a vast public
information infrastructure.
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“A library book…is
not, then, an article of mere consumption but fairly of capital, and often in
the case of professional men, setting out in life, is their only capital.” - Thomas Jefferson |
Blend Technology and Human Interaction The new facility will
be technologically sophisticated, providing the public and staff with greatly
expanded access to electronic resources and optimizing the operational efficiencies
that new building systems can provide. |
Create a Central Focal Point of Technology
Locate a major concentration of technology and technology support services within the building and involve the public in the exploration and development of new and emerging technologies.
Create a Downtown Community Library
Develop a local community library within the library for the adjacent residential and working communities as a highly visible, accessible and independently operable component of the central library facility.
Reach Out to Children
Make a special place for children, parents, and
families, including services, technology, spatial features and collections that
correspond to children’s developmental stages.
Engage Teens
Showcase a unique, independent space for self-directed teens, including technology, collections, and flexible and creative project space,
Be User Friendly
Emphasize self-service concepts and ease of access and orientation. Locate high traffic ‘public’ components closest to the front door, and study and research public components further from the front door.
Make the building easy to understand.
Create Unique Interior Spaces
Develop a system of meaningful interior spaces, including auditorium, meeting rooms, reading rooms, World News Centre, Children’s program space, Teens project space, Languages and Literacy Centre, Business and Careers Centre, Local History and Genealogy Centre, Carnegie Lounge, and Civic Suite and Boardroom.
Build in Permanent Flexibility
Accommodate future changes in services and technological requirements by making the interior of the building fully modifiable. Include multi-functional staff workstations, minimize permanent walls to ensure a flexible floor plate, and provide flexible access to power and cabling infrastructures through raised floors and/or other flexible systems.
Include Sustainable Building Systems and Operations
Plan
for a permanent and sustainable building structure and envelope designed for
maximum energy efficiency.
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CENTRAL
LIBRARY COMPONENTS Here is where
people, “Light Armour” - McGraw-Hill 1954 |
The proposed new central library will be
physically organized into 13 spatially discrete functional components. Each of these is described in terms of functions, workload, user accommodation, staffing levels, optimal adjacencies, spatial, operational and technical concepts and detailed spaces required. Concourse, Meeting Rooms, and Ancillary
Services, with a
grand public concourse and atrium, formal meeting and presentation spaces, a
300-seat lecture style auditorium with |
stage, the Library Store, and Friends of the
Library Bookshop, as well as privately operated services that augment the
services of the Library.
The
City of Ottawa Heritage Gateway, with a unique gallery and
multi-purpose space featuring permanent and temporary exhibits and cultural
events that showcase the history, geography and community profile of the City
of Ottawa.
Welcome
Centre, the main public entrance and exit from the library
housing the materials drops, self-service quick information centre, public
service desk and self-service functions, and a welcome centre to orient new
users and newcomers.
Community Library, a downtown community library within the library, with high volume, new, recent and topical materials from all collections on display shelving, and special library services.
Children’s Services, a library within the library for young library users, supporting children’s reference services, collections, and an array of reading, program and computer spaces for the toddler to the child development professional.
Teen
Zone, with special collections and accommodations designed for young
library users, including technology workstations, social space.
Fiction,
Newspapers and Magazines,
which celebrates the book and includes the fiction collection, newspapers and
magazines, and extensive public and staff workspace and the World News Centre.
Technology,
Communications and Digital Services, the greatest concentration
of technology in the building includes Emerging Technologies and Digital
laboratories, extensive public and staff workspace, and the Friends of the
Library.
Learning Centre A: Languages and Literacy Centre, includes a major portion of the non-fiction collection, Language and Literacy Centre, extensive public and meeting space associated staff workspace, and a quiet room for general reflection.
Learning Centre B: Business and Careers Centre, which includes a continuation of the non-fiction collection, and includes the Business and Careers Centre, extensive public study and meeting space, staff workspace, and a public conference room.
Learning Centre C: Local History and Genealogy Centre, which includes the final portion of the non-fiction collection, the Local History and Genealogy Centre, extensive public study and meeting space, staff workspace, and the Carnegie Lounge.
Administrative
Services, with staff workspaces and public meeting spaces for
the Library administration, the Ottawa Public Library Board, and the Ottawa
Public Library Foundation.
Materials Handling and Operations, with collection materials sorting and handling areas, and maintenance workshops required to support the library collection circulation system and operation of the central facility.
Leasable Space, includes expansion space for library activities beyond the 25-year planning horizon of this study. On an interim basis, this space will support non-library functions, including revenue-generating activities.
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CENTRAL LIBRARY |
The three schematic sections that follow illustrate possible functional layout, character and scale of the facility, as well as the general location of service points, the number of computer workstations, public seats and the location of special features. |
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Schematic Layout |
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