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Edmonton's Stanley A. Milner Library — named after the local library champion in 1996 — sees one million visits every year. But the structure itself has lagged behind its popularity, becoming an outdated civic landmark in a growing and rapidly modernizing city. With an eye towards building a strong and prosperous downtown, City Council voted in 2014 to approve a major renewal initiative for the building to the tune of $62.5 million CAD. As the library prepares to close on December 31, 2016, while it temporarily relocates to the University of Alberta's Enterprise Square building, new renderings of the sleek development have been released.
The renovated facility will be more than just a place to borrow books. The pillars of community engagement will be fused into the design, with a children's library over three times the size of the current one, hands-on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) activities, new music and arts spaces, and an indoor play area. The library will also utilize emerging technologies to their fullest, with a large Makerspace giving patrons access to 3D printing, sound and video production, and robotics, as well as a multi-storey interactive simulation wall creating a platform for unique multimedia presentations.
These active social and learning spaces will fulfill the library's mandate for collaboration while the building also provides traditional private study and reading areas by dedicating an additional 4,000 square feet to that purpose. Approximately 1,000 square feet of that space will overlook Churchill Square, providing a visual connection to the city. The community will benefit from another 2,500 square feet of meeting space and a high-tech theatre to support performances and guest speakers.
The latest renderings depict how the distorted facade of the building translates to an interior with a heavy concentration of open spaces ringed by balconies. Conceived by Teeple Architects and Tkalcic Bengert, the most recent images show a building with sharper corners and more jagged windows, compared to the swelling profile portrayed in earlier illustrations. The Edmonton Design Committee has expressed concern over the building's public realm, asking for clarity on the programming and furnishing elements of the streetscape design. Speaking to the change in exterior alterations, the Committee said on August 16: "The conceptual genesis of the dynamic form is no longer carried around the entire perimeter of the building as previously presented."
The Committee weighs in on projects within their jurisdiction and provides advice to Council in forming the City's urban design principles, guidelines and policies. Project proponents don't have to incorporate the Committee's advice, as ultimately Council has the final decision. Construction should begin in early 2017 with completion in 2020.
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