Teeple Architects, in association with Stantec, has completed the $84.5-million, 230,000-sf renovation and expansion project of the existing Edmonton Public Library (EPL) main branch into an innovative and welcoming civic hub.
Now named the Stanley A. Milner Library, the facility originally opened as Edmonton’s Centennial Library in 1967. The renovation and expansion project actively supports the library’s position as a social and creative destination at its prominent downtown location on Sir Winston Churchill Square.
The original scope of the project included replacing the building’s exterior precast panels with a new energy efficient zinc building envelope with expanses of glazing, upgrading several aging building systems, activating the civic space around the building, and creating a new architectural identity to foster greater community engagement.
The public is invited inside the building via colored skylights, glazing panels, EPL signage, and a new plaza with clear views into the library’s programming, transforming the new library into a welcoming portal between Sir Winston Churchill Square and Centennial Square.
After collaboration with EPL and the City of Edmonton the project was expanded to include a comprehensive interior renovation. Visitors enter into a bright six-story atrium defined by a new “reading ramp” and a two-story interactive display wall. Basement lobby space for the the building’s theater and event rooms is now visible through voids in the floor.
New amenities spaces include large galleria spaces, a cafe, a multi-functional children’s library, maker spaces, a gaming space, a teaching kitchen, meeting spaces, administrative offices, and the PÎYÊSÎW WÂSKÂHIKAN (Thunderbird House), an Indigenous gathering and smudging space designed in consultation with local Cree Elders and their communities.
The Shelley Milner Children’s Library nearly triples the size of the original children’s area and hosts the Gwyn Morgan & Patricia Trottier Foundation Early Literacy Centre, the Brown Family Playspace, and the Al & Fran Olson Children’s Makerspace for ages 6-12.
The Makerspace on the second floor is for ages 12 and up and encompasses 10,000 sf. It comprises 3D printers, a heat press, a vinyl cutter, a sewing and serving center, a book binding area, a fully equipped Fab Lab with a laser cutter, a computer lab, a digital conversion services center, and recording studios.
The Stanley A. Milner Library Renewal project was completed in 2020.
Related Stories
| Dec 10, 2013
16 great solutions for architects, engineers, and contractors
From a crowd-funded smart shovel to a why-didn’t-someone-do-this-sooner scheme for managing traffic in public restrooms, these ideas are noteworthy for creative problem-solving. Here are some of the most intriguing innovations the BD+C community has brought to our attention this year.
| Dec 9, 2013
Tips for designing higher education's newest building type: the learning commons
In this era of scaled-down budgets, maximized efficiencies, new learning methods and social media’s domination of face time, college and university campuses are gravitating toward a new space type: the learning commons.
| Nov 27, 2013
Wonder walls: 13 choices for the building envelope
BD+C editors present a roundup of the latest technologies and applications in exterior wall systems, from a tapered metal wall installation in Oklahoma to a textured precast concrete solution in North Carolina.
| Nov 26, 2013
Construction costs rise for 22nd straight month in November
Construction costs in North America rose for the 22nd consecutive month in November as labor costs continued to increase, amid growing industry concern over the tight availability of skilled workers.
| Nov 25, 2013
Building Teams need to help owners avoid 'operational stray'
"Operational stray" occurs when a building’s MEP systems don’t work the way they should. Even the most well-designed and constructed building can stray from perfection—and that can cost the owner a ton in unnecessary utility costs. But help is on the way.
| Nov 19, 2013
Top 10 green building products for 2014
Assa Abloy's power-over-ethernet access-control locks and Schüco's retrofit façade system are among the products to make BuildingGreen Inc.'s annual Top-10 Green Building Products list.
| Nov 15, 2013
Greenbuild 2013 Report - BD+C Exclusive
The BD+C editorial team brings you this special report on the latest green building trends across nine key market sectors.
| Nov 13, 2013
Installed capacity of geothermal heat pumps to grow by 150% by 2020, says study
The worldwide installed capacity of GHP systems will reach 127.4 gigawatts-thermal over the next seven years, growth of nearly 150%, according to a recent report from Navigant Research.
| Oct 30, 2013
11 hot BIM/VDC topics for 2013
If you like to geek out on building information modeling and virtual design and construction, you should enjoy this overview of the top BIM/VDC topics.
| Oct 28, 2013
Urban growth doesn’t have to destroy nature—it can work with it
Our collective desire to live in cities has never been stronger. According to the World Health Organization, 60% of the world’s population will live in a city by 2030. As urban populations swell, what people demand from their cities is evolving.