Client
City of Vancouver
Location
Vancouver, BC
Completion
2018
Size
Site Area: 3,720 sm (40,040 sf)
Certification
LEED Canada Gold | Commercial Interiors 1.0
Category
The Library Square Expansion hosted a combination of multiple projects designed & constructed simultaneously. This project expands the central public library into two floors that were previously used for office space.
Level 8 accommodates a sky-lit double-height space with a grand stair and seating feature, which can be used for lectures, receptions, and other gatherings. It also contains an auditorium, a reading room, and the relocated administration offices.
On Level 9, nearly one third of the existing building was deconstructed to make way for a public garden terrace with panoramic views of the city skyline. The remaining interior space on Level 9 features a number of meeting and event rooms for public use. The entire floor was designed in such a way to create free-flow circulation and visual transparency between interior and exterior.
A significant project challenge was to implement the major renovation, while the lower seven levels of the library remained open. In collaboration with Safdie Architects, DA managed & coordinated the project from the feasibility study until completion of construction.
Aerial view of roof top of Library Square.
A grand stair providing seating and vertical movement. The flexibility of the space allows it to be used for gatherings or simply a place to kick back, relax and read.
Visual and physical transparency is achieved through the use of similar ground finishes and floor to ceiling glazing.
Planters accompany the spaces beneath the canopies.
Flexible and fixed seating create a space for gathering and conversion, while the vegetation add a vibrancy to the terrace.
Federal office overlooking the level 8 & 9 roof top public terrace.
The outdoor roof deck is accompanied by the colonnade, which frames the city around.
Inside the Montalbano Theatre, a simple but comfortable space for learning activities.
Solar panels placed along the top of the south wall of the library. The power generated is put back into the power grid of the building.
"This was a challenging project that ultimately expressed our commitment to honouring and celebrating urban landscapes. To sit or study in the library's rooftop garden today is an experience of immersion in this amazing city."
