LET’S DECLARE A CEASEFIRE ON LIBRARY UNTIL ITS DONE
It’s our Think Tank.
The Bibliotank.
Book bunker.
Twitter blew up this week with wise cracks as Edmonton realized the plain grey cladding on the renovated downtown library is here to stay.
It got so bad, even the BBC and the Beaverton were cracking up at Edmonton’s expense.
It’s a letdown for many.
It really does look like a tank from Churchill Square. Or a grey battleship, guns pointed at city hall, as seen from the west side.
From the Twitter chatter, it seems many people were still expecting early designs — the shiny metal wrap perforated with diamond-shaped holes that was pitched when this was only a $10-million re-skinning project.
The second design, with its coloured aluminum bands and swooping curves, was also eye-catching. That was another faux-front, a fancy wrap, although that design included major upgrades to the interior.
Then cost estimates came back way over budget — at least $20 million over the $65 million then approved by council.
Library officials balked and brought in the value-engineers rather than return to council.
That was before structural issues and additional asbestos discovered during construction drove the budget back to $85 million.
This new form feels Soviet in a rainy July.
It’s also honest, inexpensive, eco-friendly. Plus, these designs were shared publicly as far back as November 2016.
It’s not new.
The sloping roof angling toward Churchill Square is what creates a new multi-storey atrium inside, a grand entrance that will include a larger, better integrated coffee shop in which to meet and linger.
It cuts up at the northwest corner, forming a battleship’s prow, because that’s the new main entrance. Remember how the old entrance on 102 Avenue was crowded too close to the busy bus stop, was spit-stained and uncomfortable? Designers hope moving the entrance and creating a plaza on the corner will make it feel safer, more welcoming.
The colour of the facade drew the most criticism on social media. It’s light grey ... dark grey when it’s sunny. As if Edmonton needed any more grey.
But there’s a reason for that, too.
This is Azengar zinc, the first engraved zinc on the market, says Stephen Teeple, of Toronto’s Teeple Architects. It has the lightest shade, the most matte finish. That means it can reflect light without shining in people’s eyes, reducing the urban heat island affect. The Azengar zinc uses less acid and water, with less pollution than earlier products.
Colour is still being added with coloured windows and skylights.
A little bit of colour. It will still be grey.
But the real test of a building is not how it marks the skyline. It’s how it feels on the street. Here’s where we need to hold our fire. Surrounded by construction fencing, it’s too early to judge the re-done library’s contribution to life on the street.
The old library was monolithic, with three blank facades and a tiny cafe, the Second Cup, on the northwest corner.
The new library will be almost completely surrounded by glass on the main floor and have four entrances.
The grand entrance is at the northwest corner, but another big public entrance is on the south side, connecting to the forgotten Centennial Plaza. That’s set to be redone as soon as construction wraps up on the library, hopefully with playful art and child-friendly features.
The south and northwest doors will be connected with a public thoroughfare, an accessible lobby full of natural light and seating, open even when the library is not.
The cafe will also have a door on the west side, hopefully with a patio, and a second door on the south side to a children’s outdoor play space.
Yes, it’s grey. But we count too much on a splashy new look to change downtown. We want to see a new rendering and pass quick judgment, retweet pretty ones and pile on curt one-liners when something doesn’t meet our fancy. I do it, too.
But what did the renovation to the Art Gallery of Alberta do? It’s pretty. But pretty dead.
When the new library facade blends into the construction trailers surrounding it, that’s bad.
I agree with the Twitter mob on that.
But if the finished product can spill life into Centennial Plaza, perk up all the streets nearby; if it can perform that mini-miracle in downtown Edmonton, then all the grey is forgiven.