Renowned architect loves the proposed location
Designer of Halifax building calls proposed site an ‘obvious’ choice
The internationally renowned architect who designed Halifax’s award-winning library is praising the proposed location for Ottawa’s new central branch, which some have dismissed because they believe it’s outside the city’s downtown core.
Morten Schmidt says the Ottawa Public Library’s preferred location for the $168-million library — a 1.44-hectare parcel of land just west of Bronson at 557 Wellington St. — is a “beautiful site” near a ridge overlooking the Ottawa River that would locate the new library among all of the important government buildings and museums nearby.
“The nature of Ottawa is so beautiful with the river and all that around it that it’s so obvious to place it right there,” Schmidt said in an interview.
“All these buildings sit on that beautiful edge, and the library will be on that edge as well. It’s a perfect location to build a new library in between the existing city and the new development,” he said.
Schmidt’s comments come days before the library board is to vote on the location at its Jan. 31 meeting. The question will then move to city council on Feb. 8.
The city-owned Wellington Street site received the highest ranking in OPL’s analysis of 12 potential sites.
Among the reasons for its selection: It’s a four-minute walk to the Pimisi LRT station and a two-minute walk from Bronson. The nearby escarpment is a unique geological feature and the library will have protected views to the north. It also has unobstructed views of the Ottawa River and is close to an aqueduct and a heritage pumping station. To the east is the high-density core, and to the west the LeBreton Flats, which are being redeveloped.
Ottawa Public Library will partner with Library and Archives Canada to build the four-storey super library. The city’s share of the costs will be $99 million; Library and Archives will pay $69 million. The new library will total 216,000 square feet.
Opponents, including several city councillors, question how well the preferred site will serve pedestrians, people with physical disabilities and mobility challenges, and other vulnerable populations.
They also wonder how the extensive feedback gathered from public consultations is reflected in the decision and suggest the chosen site was really the favourite all along.
Somerset Coun. Catherine McKenney, who sits on the library board, said last week that her main concern regarding a site for the new facility is that it optimizes the library’s use. “I want the library to be located where it’s going to be used the most, and I believe that that’s where most people live, where most people work, and where most people visit,” she said.
But Schmidt says the proposed location is not really outside the core.
“It’s on the edge of the core and I think the library will probably pull a lot of development to it and around it,” he said. “I think that library will be the catalyst for things to happen in that area.”
Much is expected to happen there in the coming years. There’s Windmill’s Zibi development and the RendezVous LeBreton project — which promises 4,400 new residential units. Claridge Homes recently unveiled plans for five residential towers on a patch of LeBreton Flats east of Booth Street.
Schmidt, who was in Ottawa last September to accept the Governor General’s Medal in architecture for his work on the Halifax Central Library, advised RendezVous LeBreton on its winning proposal, which included a new library.
He’s back in town this week, appearing Monday night at the Canadian Museum of History for a public lecture sponsored by Carleton University’s Azrieli School of Architecture and Urbanism and the National Capital Commission.
Schmidt is a big believer in what he says libraries of the future will be — gathering places for people to gain knowledge from traditional and new technological sources and from the interactions they have with other people. Such libraries, he says, should be built sustainably, have flexible spaces that can be used in various ways throughout the day, and be easily adaptable to hold more or fewer books.
And, if designed well, they will be something residents connect with emotionally and are proud to show off.
“You need to feel at home in order to go there,” Schmidt said. “You need to feel that, ‘This is a place that I’m part of and I actually own this building in some way.’ ”
He is closely following the current process and says his firm is interested. “It’s a very interesting library for us to work with,” he said.
Denmark-based Schmidt Hammer Lassen has designed 14 large central libraries, and was selected in December to design the new Shanghai library, a massive, 1.29-millionsquare-foot facility.
The public’s participation was key to the success of the Halifax library, Schmidt says. His firm held six public meetings to allow the public to express concerns and wishes for the new library. People in Halifax know why the building looks the way it does and understand why certain decisions were made because they could follow along and participate from design to construction, he said.
“We took the public literally as if it were our client,” he said. “It’s not an easy process, but it was worthwhile doing and I could wish other public projects like this to do it the same way.”