Award

Mill Woods Library, Seniors and Multicultural Centre by Angela Altass courtesy edMonton PubLic LibrAry T he new Mill Woods Library, Seniors and Multicultural Centre, located in Edmonton, Alberta, has been great- ly anticipated by the Mill Woods com- munity, says Pilar Martinez, deputy CEO, Edmonton Public Library. The modern t wo-storey facilit y includes a first-floor library with four reading rooms, a community room, four quiet study rooms, a children's reading area that leads to an outdoor area as well as mechanical and electrical stor- age rooms, says Kyler Costucci, project co-ordinator/scheduler, EllisDon Con- struction Services. The second floor con- tains a seniors and multicultural centre with a large multi-purpose room, game room, arts and crafts rooms, commer- cial kitchen and administration area. The facility will provide surface parking for approximately 75 vehicles, including 25 bicycle spots and a tranquil environment with landscaped walking paths surrounded by trees and benches, says Costucci. "The highlight of the proj- ect will be the architectural ceiling," he adds. "Other features include two eleva- tors with glass walls that will provide accessibility throughout the building; unique, tapered panel cladding on the exterior and an access floor system on the main floor." The architectural ceiling was the most significantly challenging scope of work during the project. "It has unique layout, sequencing and co- ordination aspects that required close co-ordination of multiple trades includ- ing mechanical, curtain wall, glazing, acoustic fabric and the exterior soffit to ensure the sightlines on multiple planes and lines were respected," says Costucci. "The ceiling geometry has over 600 points, each detailing a different eleva- tion location visible from the exterior to the interior." The structure itself plays a support- ing role, allowing for expression to come from the finished surfaces, both interior and exterior, says Derek Ratzlaff, associ- ate, Fast + Epp. "Key structural features are the large double-height spaces that allow for an expressive ceiling finish," explains Ratzlaff. The exterior of the building is 60 per cent glass, which provides natural light- ing to the interior, says Costucci. The architect created a unique varia- tion in the glazing lines on the building to create a pleasing overall feel, says Nick Trovato, managing principal, Read Jones Christoffersen Ltd. "It is great to see that these buildings are no longer simple, boxy elements but rather a facility that we are proud to be part of," says Tro- vato. "It utilizes standard materials to create a building that is a focal point for the surrounding area. The clean design of the building has resulted in a building envelope with integrity and very good thermal performance for our challeng- ing environment." The vision for the project was to cre- ate a bold and dynamic public building in a suburban context, says Darryl Condon, managing principal architect, Hughes Condon Marler Architects ( HCMA). "By combining both a public library and a seniors and multicultural facility it provides a comprehensive community facility in a neighbourhood that lacks this type of amenity." Hughes Condon Marler Architects worked on the $33.8-million project in joint venture with Dub Architects Ltd. "It was a collaborative process with involvement from both firms," says Con- don. "We sought to create an open and inviting facility that would clearly dis- tinguish itself from the predominantly retail precinct and in the process create a new and dynamic social hub." The combination of library, seniors and multi-cultural services provided together in a unified building was an interesting aspect of the project. "The site was challenging both in terms of its awkward geometry and lack of context," says Condon. "It sits within a relatively barren suburban context. A particular challenge was to create a new context for the project that would differentiate this from its surroundings, while creating a more humanistic scale in a vast open space. The project reinterprets and chal- lenges the predominant suburban big box with a sophisticated metal cladding system coupled with abundant glazing." The most exciting part of the proj- ect from a landscape prospective is the planting palette, says Nicole Taddune, landscape architect with PFS Studio."It proposes a very dense Aspen parkland palette and native prairie grasses," says Taddune. "With over 200 proposed trees and thousands of shrubs, ground covers and prairie grasses, the density of the planting design will highly contrast the surrounding context of the library. The site will stand as a remnant piece of an important regional landscape typology." The Aspen parkland densely wraps the south side of the building creating the sense of the library emerging from the forest into the prairie, says Taddune. "By berming the landscape, the library is further embedded into the site as perceived from both the exterior and interior," adds Taddune. "The site is a very suburban, car-ori- entated, commercial area," says Michael Dub, project architect, Dub Architects Limited. "The site is very challenging because it lacks a lot of the elements we associate with public space," says Dub. "Our challenge was to make a space that felt distinctly public in this context. The result is a design that tries to boldly dif- ferentiate itself while also integrating with the surroundings. It's a bit of a play on the nearby big box building type. The volume of the building is cut away and hallowed out to create views in and out. Unlike more traditional public buildings that might have a front side that faces a main road, here the public space erodes the building from all sides." The entry plaza offers a variety of seating options including gathering clusters in the Aspen grove positioned to facilitate small groups for informal socializing, says Taddune. "A children's outdoor reading room is located along the northeast side of the building and seamlessly extends the children's library outside into the prairie landscape," says Taddune. Managing this project's complicated design while ensuring cost and schedule were under control was a priority, says Costucci. "We are creating spaces for the community that will be used by many generations over time so we know it has to be built well," says Costucci. ■ Location 2610 Hewes Way, Edmonton, Alberta owner Edmonton Public Library / The City of Edmonton architects Hughes Condon Marler Architects / Dub Architects Limited (JV) GeneraL contractor EllisDon Construction Services Inc. structuraL consuLtant Fast + Epp mechanicaL/eLectricaL consuLtant Williams Engineering Canada Inc. buiLdinG enveLope consuLtant Read Jones Christoffersen Ltd. Landscape architect PFS Studio totaL area 50,343 square feet totaL cost $33.8 million october 2014 /81 Mill Woods Library, Seniors and Multicultural centre 5:02 PM

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