Award

he Vernon Branch of the Okanagan Regional Library had been in the same building for 23 years, remaining small as the population grew. "It was less than half the size it should be," points out Lesley Dieno, executive director of the ORL, explaining that the branch circulated the highest number of materials out of all 29 regional libraries. So the residents of Vernon will be making good use of the library's $12.5million overhaul, which opened to the public in May. "It has been said that the library is the living room of a community," says Dieno. "The enthusiasm for this project is testament to the library being a central hub for the Greater Vernon community, and the need for accessible and reliable information services." The building is bathed in natural light; the open stairwell with glass railings allows the sunlight to spill in from walls of windows – a tricky feat, explains Tim McLennan of CEI Architecture Planning Interiors, considering that "books do not respond to natural light as well as people do." Above, the high, curved ceiling is structured with 16 stunning 100foot glulam beams, sourced from the Okanagan. "The use of wood in public buildings has become increasingly popular for many reasons in B.C.," McLennan explains. "For this project, the wood roof structure is expressive, warm and pays respect to the building which previously housed the library. It also takes advantage of the local materials and expertise in the region the library serves." The space takes its design cues from the surrounding landscape, using colours from nature and incorporating the heritage brick facades of Vernon's historic downtown core; cement panels, metal siding and roo ing wrap the concrete and wood structure. "There's a focus on cosy seating areas with valley views and a very airy feeling," says Maureen Curry, branch head librarian of the Vernon Branch. Meeting rooms are available for rent to the public, too, and teens have their own section with lounge chairs and café-style seating for reading, group study or listening to music. "We were careful to design staff spaces and equipment that are ergonomically correct and reduce the risk of repetitive stress injuries that many library staff deal with," Curry explains, pointing to the height-adjustable circulation desk as an example. Special attention was paid to reducing the visual impact of the mechanical systems. "Although we as mechanical consultants like to see and hear the inner workings of a building, we know that most other people don't," says Andrew Stringer of Aerius Engineering. Acoustical enclosures were built around many of the heat pumps to contain noise generated by the heat pump compressors, and the air distribution Okanagan Regional Library – Vernon Branch p.62-63 OK Library.indd 63 COURTESY OKANAGAN REGIONAL LIBRARY T Okanagan Regional Library – Vernon Branch by Stacey McLachlan system is grouped by the heat pumps over the dropped ceilings to maximize the use of concealed space; sidewall diffusers installed in architectural bulkheads allowed proper air distribution without resorting to visible ductwork. Throughout the building, linear diffusers and return air grilles were employed wherever possible due to their low visual pro ile. Creating a distinct entryway was pivotal, and landscape architect David James of MMM Group credits the City of Vernon for its innovative installation of a multi-use corridor adjacent to the library, which inspired the landscape design: "It will provide a generous threemetre-wide pathway for pedestrians and cyclists away from the roadway and vehicle con licts. We think the City of Vernon, in promoting this alternative mode of movement, is well ahead of the curve and our landscape design needed to respond in kind and connect the main entry to this important downtown pathway system." A series of steeped planters between the interior library space and the City's pathway creates visual interest. On the other side of the building, where off-hour book drop-off and loading zones are located, the landscape was treated as a streetscape, with trees and pedestrian amenities such as bike racks. Choosing Okanagan-inspired plants was a priority to MMM, though James admits that planting on the shaded north side of the building was a challenge. "Here, we picked a number of shade-tolerant grasses, but also introduced shrubs and perennial planting that would provide colour and interest throughout the seasons." Every project has challenges, and the Vernon Branch was no exception. The site was constricted by its hillside location and the operational railway tracks and adjacent construction sites. The sloping landscape created a condition that required a slight ramp into the main entry from the street, but MMM Group worked closely with CEI Architecture to ensure that this important entry point was universally accessible to all users. It was also a race to commence construction before winter made progress impossible, says construction manager John Hiebert of Task Construction Management. "Cooperation from the client, users, design team and City were instrumental in the start we wanted for this job – missing the start would have exposed the project to two winters rather than just one before we were closed in." "Our primary design goal was to target and utilize energy that is normally wasted in a traditional building design," says Stringer. Though Okanagan Regional Library aimed for LEED Silver standards, the ORL didn't apply for expensive certi ication."The building siting, envelope, glazing and building systems were all a result of an intensive three-day design charette where sustainability was a key focus," says McLennan. Considerable input from users, neighbours and multiple stakeholders helped shape the design and form of the facility. As a result, the building uses an air-source heat pump loop for temperature control, designed by Aerius. "We utilized a distributed heat pump system in which individual heat pumps throughout the building either take energy from or reject energy to a common heat pump water loop," explains Stringer. "When the building load bias shifts towards cooling, excess heat is shed through an evaporative luid cooler with a two-stage fan. When the building load bias shifts towards heating, energy is supplied to the heat pump loop by a pair of high-ef iciency natural gas condensing boilers." A heat-recovery ventilator uses an air-to-air heat exchanger to recover heat from the exhaust air and use it to heat the outside air entering the building; sensors turn off water and light sources when they're not in use; sunshades installed on the western face maintain views while protecting from heating rays. And the open loor plan allows lexibility for shelving and furniture, allowing for future modi ications. "Our goal was to create a building that responded to the present and future needs of the community," says McLennan. "Libraries have evolved and continue to evolve in the role that they play in our communities and have been greatly in luenced by technology. Their function has evolved beyond the storage of and provision of access to information, to being a social hub for the community." ■ LOCATION 2800 30th Avenue Vernon, B.C. OWNER/DEVELOPER Okanagan Regional Library ARCHITECT CEI Architecture Planning Interiors CONSTRUCTION MANAGER Task Construction Management STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT Bush Bohlman & Partners MECHANICAL CONSULTANT Aerius Engineering ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT S+A Falcon LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT/ CIVIL CONSULTANT MMM Group LAND SURVEYOR Russell N Shortt Land Surveyors QUANTITY SURVEYOR Denis Walsh & Associates Limited TOTAL AREA 30,000 square feet TOTAL CONSTRUCTION COST $12.6 million JUNE 2012 /63 5/25/12 12:04:45 PM

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