Officials defend library design from online critics
Don’t judge a book by its cover.
That’s the message that Edmonton Public Library CEO Pilar Martinez wants to share after Edmonton social media channels blew up with chatter about the library’s under-construction Stanley A. Milner Library in the city’s downtown.
Much of the online discussion centred around the library’s tank-like zinc exterior, with less-than-favourable comparisons of the near-finished building to old renderings — criticism that Martinez says came as a shock.
“We’re surprised and of course disappointed with the outcry. I think it’s a little bit undeserved in that the photo isn’t ideal, it’s a construction site and it’s not alive at the building. We’re not open, there are no lights,” she said.
She says the rendering most frequently being shared is outdated, as the project has undergone some changes since its conception.
The first rendering was focused on an exterior renovation, but that changed as the library shifted its focus to the building’s interior.
“We realized that if we wanted to do a renovation, we wanted to do something that customers were going to really experience and impact from, not just a facade,” Martinez said.
Budget overruns also partly resulted from changes to the project. Originally, the renovations were slated to cost $62.5 million, a number that increased to $69 million and later ballooned to $84.5 million. Fixing problems with the existing Milner building, including removing asbestos and getting the structure up to safety standards, contributed to the extra costs.
Though the building is still under construction, the exterior today is pretty much how it will look in its final form.
“To be honest, what you’re seeing in terms of the form of the building is pretty much there,” said Carol Belanger, Edmonton’s city architect. “You’re just looking at a building right now that is essentially a shell of itself. There’s no lights on, there’s no activity around it.”
Both Martinez and Belanger alluded to the subjectivity and divisiveness of art and architecture, saying critics should wait to see the final product before passing judgment.
Mayor Don Iveson echoed a similar sentiment when addressing reporters at city hall Tuesday.
“I know criticism is a summer sport here in Edmonton and so people indulge, but I’m going to wait until it’s done and especially until people get inside before passing final judgment,” Iveson said.
Edmontonians hanging out in Churchill Square on the north side of the Milner library on Tuesday afternoon had only nice things to say about the building’s new look.
“It’s not an eyesore. I like the fact that they’re even building a library this big. And to an extent, I don’t even care how it looks on the outside since it’s a library, so it’s what’s inside that’s gonna matter more,” said Frans Hanna.
Su Jing, who recently moved to Edmonton, said “It’ll be nice to have a library close. I think the design is good. It’s modern.”
A number of Canadian cities have opened flagship downtown library branches in recent years, including Halifax and Calgary.
When asked how she thinks the finished Milner library will compare to Calgary’s recently completed, $245-million Central Library, Martinez said it’s important to note that Edmonton’s reworked branch will be built on a third of the budget Calgary had.
“We have worked really, really hard to be fiscally conservative and balance the materiality use of the exterior with the experience and the services that will be on the inside,” she said.
The Stanley A. Milner Library is expected to reopen on Feb. 14, 2020.
Among other things, the renovated branch will triple the size of the children’s library, add space for audio recording and playing games, offer cooking classes in a 2,000-square-foot centre and introduce a space for hosting Indigenous ceremonies.
Since its closure in December 2016, the branch has operated out of a temporary Jasper Avenue location in Enterprise Square.