Ādisōke [Ottawa's New Central Library] | U/C

[rocketphish]

Why the library got it right with the new central site

Peter Hume
Published on: December 21, 2016 | Last Updated: December 21, 2016 11:32 AM EST

Aspiring to greater things. That was the front page of the Ottawa Citizen on April 21, 2012 just before the 2012 Planning Summit. It was hoped the outcome of the summit would start a renaissance in urban planning where we would stop planning for the lowest common denominator, bring certainty to the planning process and embrace architectural greatness.

The city has made steady progress and with the announcement of a new Ottawa Central Library we can really put our aspirations to the test.

We have two paths. One will give us a modern version of our existing library: a functional, nondescript space that pleases none but satisfies the base needs. In short, it would be a library that everyone will describe as a missed opportunity. Or, we can move forward and create an enduring space that 30 years from now people will still be admiring – a space we won’t want to move from 50 years from now.

The site proposed by library CEO Danielle McDonald and her staff puts us on the path to create a central library that will endure for decades.

We don’t have a design nor do we have an architect, but what we do have is significant. We have a recommended site that is large enough – more than 120,000 square feet – to provide the flexibility for an architectural team to create a design that will have soaring atriums and great public and work spaces – a place that you will want to come to and seek out your genealogy.

The proposed site allows you to create outdoor spaces and leaves the potential for generous setbacks for significant trees and other landscaping.

What is even more exciting is that the city already owns the site.

We don’t need to spend one tax dollar on acquiring a site. All the money can be put towards creating a building and a library we can be proud of.

This all sounds great, doesn’t it?

It wouldn’t be Ottawa if we didn’t have those second guessing the location.

Several political leaders and citizens want the library to be located east of Bronson, and that sounds reasonable until you look at the available sites and you quickly find out that it is not such a reasonable position to advocate.

Every site east of Bronson is significantly smaller. The Albert/Slater/Lyon site is the largest site east of Bronson, and is only 66,000 square feet in size, the minimum required. So, the question to ask of those advocating east of Bronson is this: What are we giving up? The soaring atrium, public spaces, outside spaces, opportunities for set backs and street trees. Because a small site means lot-line to lot-line buildings – a library box. We have lots of those and we don’t need more.

The sites east of Bronson are all privately owned, meaning the city would have to buy them.

The Albert/Slater/Lyon site was sold in April 2016 for $16 million, so you can bet the city would have to pay something in excess of that for the site, and the question is, where is this money going to come from? Are we going to reduce the existing budget to buy the site? Is city council going to increase the budget by millions when they own a site a mere 300 metres away?

Proponents of these east of Bronson sites need to be transparent and, in their advocacy, tell the citizens of Ottawa – after all this library is for all of Ottawa – how we will get everything we want on the smaller sites and where the money going to come from to buy them.

We should be celebrating and envisioning our new central library, but instead we are doing what we always do, second guessing ourselves and designing not for the best of us but for the lowest common denominator.

Citizens of Ottawa stand up and embrace your library – don’t second guess it.

Peter Hume is a former councillor who now advises on planning and urban affairs. He has advised the library on planning issues related to the new central library.

http://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/columni...y-got-it-right-with-the-new-central-site

[acottawa]

I think Peter Hume has an atrium fetish.

[Nepean]

I think Peter Hume is spot on. It's fine to advocate a library east of Bronson. If you are going to do that, however, then you have to be honest with the public by recognising that a building in Centretown will probably be unimpressive.

Hume is right that every dollar spent in purchasing land is less money that can be used to build a truly beautiful building. He is also right that the smaller the lot the higher the chance a future library will be a boring box. Of course, putting a library west of Bronson does not guarantee excellence. But putting one in Centretown increases the chances that a future central library will be mediocre.

[passwordisnt123]

Originally Posted by AndyMEng

The garden of the provinces does NOT block pedestrians. Currently all you have to do is walk down Sparks Street, down 10 steps at the garden of the provinces podium, and down a pathway which more or less connects in a direct-straight line to Fleet Street, through the canyon of Claridge buildings (which isn't so bad now that everyone has gardens fronting their units) and you're right on the mud-flats. Its about 400-500m from Sparks to Lebreton. Oh, you've got to cross a disused, unsignalized/unmarked pedestrian crosswalk on Commissioners street. I suppose that could be construed as dangerous, but there are literally 100 cars that park down at the river level each day that use this 'road'. How much more pedestrian friendly do you want? A straight-line ramp instead of steps at the garden?

The ONLY reason people regard this as pedestrian un-friendly at all is because there is NO destination at the moment, other than the park itself!

Except for the 7 months of the year when the garden of the provinces is closed thus making that end of sparks street extremely hostile to pedestrians and cyclists and basically everybody else.

I suppose you could still get from there to Lebretton Flats if you're willing to climb over the chain barricades, navigate down the unmaintained icy/snowy steps, and then trudge through the unplowed rest of the space, yeah you could I suppose say that it's totally pedestrian friendly. You could say that. I wouldn't. But you could say that if you wanted to.

[lrt's friend]

Any section of pathway that is remote and empty and not very visible from city streets is going to discourage pedestrians especially after dark. This certainly applies to the route through the Garden of the Provinces and along the abandoned stretch of Wellington Street.

I remember attending an event at Christ Church Cathedral and was offered a ride home afterwards and went down there after dark. Not an inviting location.

If we want to encourage this as a pedestrian walkway, it needs to be re-animated with businesses and residences or other attractions. Up until the 60s, this is what was there.

[passwordisnt123]

I think our best hope is to make the new location less pedestrian hostile. After the Ottawa Hospital/Tunney's fiasco, I'm guessing the city will simply not allow themselves to be painted into a similarly embarrassing u-turn so quickly after the last one by the federal government. Especially not after Watson pontificated so haughtily about the importance of consultation and communication after Round #1.

I was playing around with some ideas. I wonder if maybe a roundabout might work there as a way of calming the traffic.

[eemy]

Roundabouts aren't very great for pedestrians.

[Aylmer]

I would tend to agree - roundabouts force wide detours for pedestrians and the constant motion of cars - albeit slower cars than in the average signalized intersection - makes it difficult to cross.

It might also be a bit of an awkward fit in that particular location because of the tight angle at Bronson/Slater. Northbound vehicles on Bronson risk T-boning westbound cars heading to Slater.


Instead, I might suggest something like this:



- I would deviate Bronson onto Commissioner, turning the current confusion junction into a simple T-intersection. It also opens up some new space for development.

- The rest of Commissioner, Brickhill and Lower Sparks should remain pedestrian since they're of great pedestrian value and of very limited vehicular value (except for the very limited number of people who park in that one parking lot behind Library and Archives along the river).

- To take advantage of the pedestrian link to downtown and LRT as well as the magnificent views afforded by its location, I would turn the library towards Lower Sparks with an atrium similar to that of Montreal's Grande Bibliothèque:



It would allow for great street presence since you can have many more points of entry and perhaps even install removable walls which could be opened up in the Summer months. I think the aim should be to make Lower Sparks an 'extension' of the library and its activities.

_____

There are some weaknesses to this idea. It doesn't really calm traffic as much as it just shifts the focus away from traffic-heavy streets like Bronson, Albert, and Slater towards traffic-free streets like Lower Sparks. I think that that still makes for a much more interesting and comfortable pedestrian realm, but it kinda condemns Albert and Slater to being "nowhere" streets made only for moving through (kinda like they are now). However, not every street can/should be extraordinary and I think that the tradeoff is worth it.

[passwordisnt123]

Originally Posted by Aylmer

I would tend to agree - roundabouts force wide detours for pedestrians and the constant motion of cars - albeit slower cars than in the average signalized intersection - makes it difficult to cross.

It might also be a bit of an awkward fit in that particular location because of the tight angle at Bronson/Slater. Northbound vehicles on Bronson risk T-boning westbound cars heading to Slater.


Instead, I might suggest something like this:



- I would deviate Bronson onto Commissioner, turning the current confusion junction into a simple T-intersection. It also opens up some new space for development.

- The rest of Commissioner, Brickhill and Lower Sparks should remain pedestrian since they're of great pedestrian value and of very limited vehicular value (except for the very limited number of people who park in that one parking lot behind Library and Archives along the river).

- To take advantage of the pedestrian link to downtown and LRT as well as the magnificent views afforded by its location, I would turn the library towards Lower Sparks with an atrium similar to that of Montreal's Grande Bibliothèque:



It would allow for great street presence since you can have many more points of entry and perhaps even install removable walls which could be opened up in the Summer months. I think the aim should be to make Lower Sparks an 'extension' of the library and its activities.

I like that proposal too. I think it'd be a definite improvement over what's there now.

[AndyMEng]

Originally Posted by passwordisnt123

I like that proposal too. I think it'd be a definite improvement over what's there now.

Just change it so that Bronson is straight into Albert (the opposite side of the triangle) and we're good. Turning down to commissioner makes for a dangerous intersection with Albert, because of the turns, hills, etc.

My hope is that the upper section of commissioner disappears, the library extends to front on the green at the base of the escarpment, and that all other areas of commissioner/lower sparks becomes pedestrian only.

[rocketphish]

Why a public-private central library was unlikely from the beginning

Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: December 29, 2016 | Last Updated: December 29, 2016 4:33 PM EST



Looking back, it should have been easy to predict the end of the story.

There wasn’t much chance of building a new city library under a public-private partnership (P3).

The Ottawa Public Library wants to partner with Library and Archives Canada to build a $168-million facility at 557 Wellington St., just west of Albert Street and Bronson Avenue. It’s a city-owned property.

A P3 library development seemed to be a no-brainer two years ago, considering the political buy-in, budget constraints and obvious need for a new central facility.

In July 2014, the OPL board told staff to conduct research into a P3 model for a new library after learning how much a total gut job would cost at the existing flagship branch on Metcalfe Street.

Mayor Jim Watson championed a new P3 central library during the 2014 city election campaign, knowing the city budget was tight and a private partner could reduce the financial burden on property taxpayers. In June 2015, Watson called for the P3 option to remain in play as the OPL confirmed it wanted to build a new central library somewhere else.

Meanwhile, CUPE Local 503, which represents OPL workers, raised warning flags about a P3 library and rallied against the idea. The community group Bookmark the Core also opposed a P3 project.

The OPL hired Deloitte to analyze the merits of building a library with a private-sector partner. The consultant’s report was included in the stack of material released this month with the OPL’s recommendations on building a joint facility with the federal archives.

The potential for a land deal with a property owner became remote around mid-2016. When the OPL asked landowners to speak up if they wanted to have their property considered for the project, not a single one stepped forward.

But Deloitte pointed out several reasons why a P3 library probably isn’t a good idea, anyway.

One big problem?

The OPL didn’t have a test-case in Canada for a P3 municipal library.

When Deloitte did a cross-country scan of libraries, it couldn’t find one that leveraged a private business partner. There are companies that could probably operate a combined library and archives, but there’s risk in being the first.

Speaking about risk, the private partner in a P3 usually assumes the liability for building on a new site. Deloitte points out OPL’s recommended site at 557 Wellington St. is considered a brownfield, meaning there’s ground contamination that needs to be cleaned up before construction. It’s a tough sell.

It’s also difficult to forecast what kind of lifecycle work would be required under a P3 agreement, especially when it’s hard to predict with a high degree of accuracy the number of people using the building, Deloitte says.

A lack of cash intake probably doesn’t make sense for the private sector to get involved in a library partnership. Since public libraries aren’t inherent moneymakers, there is little incentive for a company to assume any risk when it comes to revenue that could be used to offset project costs.

Perhaps the most significant drawback to a P3 project is the risk that the OPL would lose control over the library’s design. The pressure is on the organization to have an iconic building at the foot of the escarpment.

Deloitte concluded there isn’t much complexity to the project – even with the federal archives partnership – to warrant a P3.

Still, the OPL and federal archives could add private components to the plan. They are still investigating the requirements for underground parking, which could be available to the private sector to develop and run. A café could be privately run, too, since it’s unlikely the OPL wants to be in the coffee-and-snack business.

[email protected]
twitter.com/JonathanWilling

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news...-library-was-unlikely-from-the-beginning

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by Aylmer

Instead, I might suggest something like this:

I like your idea in general, but have a few issues/suggestions:

First of all, some of the land shown as part of the northern "New Development" is private parking for the The Juliana apartments (as well as access to its underground parking), so that land would have to be removed.

The southern "New Development" space is only about 1000 m^2, which isn't much for a new development, especially given its awkward shape.

I kind of like the idea of going with something closer to the concept shared in post #552, though I would be tempted to remove Commissioner Street altogether and find a better route for its limited traffic. If I have time, I will try and draw a map of my idea.

Regardless of the plan, a elevated pedestrian walkway should be build from Bronson to an upper story of the library building to improve pedestrian access from downtown. This could be a public area with stairs, escalators and elevators down to the ground level and the main entrance (rather than directly into the library) to allow the walkway to be used even when the library is closed. Also a pedestrian walkway should run beside the LRT tracks from the library to Pimisi Station. If line is capped, the pathway should be capped as well to give the library all season access to the LRT. Optimally both walkways would be connected to improve pedestrian inter-connectivity.

[Richard Eade]

I am not getting a good feeling that the architecture will work well. I know that it is only a 'place-holder', but take a look at the rendering in The Citizen article: It is set off by itself, with large green spaces all around it. The pathways depicted are minimal. But worst of all, it is oriented toward Albert Street. That is the side of the building that has the soaring (well, 4 stories) glass atrium. Also, I think that a bit of height might be in order. Oh, and they should build it at least 50% bigger than what they think they will need, since demands for public space rarely decrease.

And how about providing a new home for the Good Companions Senior's Centre, as part of the 'public good' that is built into the new Library complex. [Then build a cascading senior's residence up Nanny Goat Hill that also provides a public (free) funicular between the St. Vincent Hospital, the senior's residence, and Slater Street at Empress - right across from a new Good Companions Senior's Centre. And improve the pedestrian crossing of Slater so that seniors can easily manage it.]

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by Richard Eade

I am not getting a good feeling that the architecture will work well. I know that it is only a 'place-holder', but take a look at the rendering in The Citizen article: It is set off by itself, with large green spaces all around it. The pathways depicted are minimal. But worst of all, it is oriented toward Albert Street. That is the side of the building that has the soaring (well, 4 stories) glass atrium. Also, I think that a bit of height might be in order. Oh, and they should build it at least 50% bigger than what they think they will need, since demands for public space rarely decrease.

I tend to agree with you, though the dark green in the foreground is existing green space.

Interestingly though, if you look closely though is it seems to show a Wellington St. extension beyond the bend in the old transitway and the burial of Commissioner St to level out the green space beside the library.

[lrt's friend]

Wellington will serve as the service entrance to the library.

The atrium faces south (Albert) to capture the best light. An atrium facing north will be less effective.

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by Richard Eade

I am not getting a good feeling that the architecture will work well. I know that it is only a 'place-holder', but take a look at the rendering in The Citizen article: It is set off by itself, with large green spaces all around it. The pathways depicted are minimal. But worst of all, it is oriented toward Albert Street. That is the side of the building that has the soaring (well, 4 stories) glass atrium. Also, I think that a bit of height might be in order. Oh, and they should build it at least 50% bigger than what they think they will need, since demands for public space rarely decrease.

And how about providing a new home for the Good Companions Senior's Centre, as part of the 'public good' that is built into the new Library complex. [Then build a cascading senior's residence up Nanny Goat Hill that also provides a public (free) funicular between the St. Vincent Hospital, the senior's residence, and Slater Street at Empress - right across from a new Good Companions Senior's Centre. And improve the pedestrian crossing of Slater so that seniors can easily manage it.]

$$$$$

Where does it come from?

Although, I like what you are suggesting.

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

The atrium faces south (Albert) to capture the best light. An atrium facing north will be less effective.

The side facing Albert is closer to east-south-east, which is less effective given the hill and tall buildings to the east. As a result, I would suggest the curve of the building be closer to a quarter ellipse with the north-eastern half of the building running almost parallel to Albert and then gradually curving away from Albert on the south-western half. This would:

1. Give the atrium more of a southern exposure,
2. Allow for a north-eastern entrance close to Commissioner and Albert, and
3. Allow for a south-western entrance closer Pimisi Station

Optimally the first floor of the library would be at the northern ground level (to allow lots of lighting from all directions) and the southern ground level would be the grand atrium entrance level at the front (with escalators up to the main level) and P1 at the back.

[rocketphish]

If Ottawa's central library leaves Centretown, a mini branch at city hall could happen

Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: January 16, 2017 | Last Updated: January 16, 2017 3:33 PM EST

Opening a mini-library branch at city hall could be an option if the flagship Ottawa Public Library branch moves out of Centretown, Mayor Jim Watson says.

Watson said he has been looking at potentially using one of the gallery spaces at city hall for a library.

The Ottawa Art Gallery Annex is expected to vacate one room since the art gallery will have a larger space at the redeveloped Arts Court, which is scheduled to open later this year. The Barbara Ann Scott exhibition was also created in 2012 with the expectation it wouldn’t be a permanent installation at city hall.

One of the knocks against the proposed location for a new main library – at Albert and Commissioner streets, just west of Bronson Avenue – is it would be just outside the traditional downtown boundary. The current main library is on Metcalfe Street at Laurier Avenue.

The OPL wants to build a new library in partnership with Library and Archives Canada. The two organizations would share the building, with the city required to shoulder $99 million of the $168-million capital cost.

Watson defended the OPL’s recommended location for a new library on LeBreton Flats.

“The reality is the branch on LeBreton will be much more accessible to many more people simply because of the transit station,” Watson told the Citizen’s editorial board in a recent interview.

“We have to practise what we preach. If we’re going to build a library that has no transit access, how can we go browbeat developers to say build in these built-up urban transit nodes when we’re not doing it ourselves?”

Watson said he has discussed the idea of using city hall for library services with library board chair Tim Tierney.

“I’m open to looking at the idea of some kind of a mini drop-off, drop-in centre,” Watson said.

Somerset Coun. Catherine McKenney, a library board trustee, is hosting the only scheduled open house on the main library project before the proposal goes to the library board Jan. 31. The open house is Wednesday at city hall, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

“I want to hear from people,” McKenney said. “Do you agree with the site? What are the restrictions if you don’t? Why do you (agree) if you do? Do you need a branch library (downtown) if, indeed, this does end up being the site?”

When the project lands on council’s agenda Feb. 8, councillors will likely want to know if the city can afford the project.

Watson said the city would rely on borrowing money and using some existing money already in the bank for capital projects. He didn’t know for sure how much the city would need to borrow. The city, which is forecasted to have net long-term debt of $1.78 billion at the end of 2017, is still working on the numbers.

The city is also talking with Environment Minister Catherine McKenna, the MP for Ottawa Centre, about the potential to receive federal money for a new library, Watson said.

Development charges and the sale of the current main library would also reduce the city’s portion of construction costs.

[email protected]
twitter.com/JonathanWilling

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news...l-an-option-after-flagship-library-moves

[acottawa]

That's a good idea.

[AndyMEng]

https://www.dezeen.com/2017/01/18/oma-ba...cqueville-cross-shaped-library-normandy/

^^ Interesting new library in Normandy.