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

[OTSkyline]

Wow very nice.

I love the mixture of glass and wood on the inside as well.

[acottawa]

I have some concerns with the proposed site, but I am baffled by attempts to build it on confederation park.

http://www.ottawasun.com/2017/01/30/libr...n-confusing-confederation-park-offensive

[cr872190]

Originally Posted by acottawa

I have some concerns with the proposed site, but I am baffled by attempts to build it on confederation park.

http://www.ottawasun.com/2017/01/30/libr...n-confusing-confederation-park-offensive

Confederation Park is a terrible location but also not a very serious one. The only reason anyone is talking about it is because Jim Watson went a Twitter storm about it in an attempt to make this a two horse race between the Lebreton Flatt's space and this obscure Confederation Park idea. It makes the location Jim Watson's supporting look pretty good.

I personally think the Lebreton Flatt's proposed space is the right one, but I think this is taking away from any serious discussion about other realistic locations in the core.

[lrt's friend]

like the highly underutilized Nepean Point.

[J.OT13]

Nepean Point is even more isolated than the City's preferred site. Also much further form LRT and parts of the CBD.

Confederation Park, although it seems king of small, wouldn't be such a terible idea if building on the eastern half. It would also be an opportunity to eliminate Queen E. Drive in that area and reclaiming that part of the canal to introduce more activity.

[acottawa]

So the part that is used for concerts and events? (and also as a park)

I can't see any advantage of that.

If they want it on the canal there is a very underutilized lawn on the other side of the canal south of Laurier.

To me the most logical site remains the Alterna Savings that the Library recommended the previous time around. Then the LRT construction site at Kent, then I would look into demolishing crappy 60s low-rise office buildings.

[Aylmer]

How about building atop the dead grass of the City Hall Plaza? Replacing a bit of underutilized open space with a well-used infrastructure could help make the rest of the greenspace (notably Confederation Park) more lively.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by acottawa

So the part that is used for concerts and events? (and also as a park)

I can't see any advantage of that.

If they want it on the canal there is a very underutilized lawn on the other side of the canal south of Laurier.

To me the most logical site remains the Alterna Savings that the Library recommended the previous time around. Then the LRT construction site at Kent, then I would look into demolishing crappy 60s low-rise office buildings.

In general, the eastern half isn't as well utilized (other than events, which can easily be moved). Not saying it's the best spot, but it should be considered. Good thing about that spot is that we can convert a continuous stretch of the canal from the Wellington to Lisgar to a more urban experience.

The lot your talking about is another pedestrian hostile zone, between Colonel By and Nicholas. Around it you have the DND HQ and luxury apartments (and Desmarais). Even if we took out that stretch of Colonel By, it wouldn't do much for the canal, in large part because of DND HQ.

I could support the Alterna site or Ottawa Tech. Not so much the Central Shaft site on Queen at Kent because the library would be lost among a sea of high-rise office towers.

I like Aylmer's suggestion of the City Hall's front lawn, could achieve similar things to Confederation Park. Only issue is the rink of dreams.

[J.OT13]

Bookmark the Core's video.

• Video Link
http://www.bookmarkthecore.ca/

It's one thing to oppose one site or the other, but the City's approach is to completely shut down any and all criticism of the current "exemplary" site and shut out any other possible proposed site. Watson ruling with an iron fist.

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

It would also be an opportunity to eliminate Queen E. Drive in that area and reclaiming that part of the canal to introduce more activity.

Not really. Lawrence Freiman Lane (as that stretch road is actually called) is the driveway for the NAC for deliveries and as an alternate exit for their underground parking.

[rocketphish]

Library decision looms as mayor goes on confusing Confederation Park offensive

Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: January 30, 2017 | Last Updated: January 30, 2017 5:25 PM EST

Mayor Jim Watson says he needed to quickly quash the far-fetched idea of using Confederation Park for a new main library so library trustees don’t pursue it on Tuesday.

Community group Bookmark the Core released a video last Friday suggesting the federal park could be an alternative to the site recommended by the Ottawa Public Library at 557 Wellington St., near the intersection of Albert and Commissioner streets, just west of Bronson Avenue.

“They’re the ones that produced a video advocating for Confederation Park, and the more people I heard from said, ‘Are you serious about it going in the park?’, I said, no absolutely not. I wanted to shoot it down right away,” Watson said Monday.

Emilie Taman, one of the leading members of Bookmark the Core, said the group isn’t advocating for the park as a library site.

“Bookmark the Core is just highlighting the fact that other people have had other ideas and trying to get people excited about the issue of location, which was difficult for the whole period where there were no actual sites,” Taman said. “The reality is, people only get excited when they hear about exciting sites.”

Taman said Watson’s call to #SaveConfedPark on Twitter was “absurd and actually did a real disservice to the whole idea of public dialogue.”

There is no formal proposal to put a library in the National Capital Commission park, although the idea has been spitballed by some in recent weeks.

Confederation Park wasn’t on the OPL’s list of 12 properties reviewed during the site assessment process.

Still, Watson was asking people on social media for support to save Confederation Park.

On Tuesday night, the Ottawa Public Library board will vote on building a new main library at 557 Wellington. The $168-million facility would be shared with Library and Archives Canada, with the city shouldering $99 million of the cost.

The site is controversial for people who want to keep the main library in the traditional downtown core between Bronson Avenue and Elgin Street. The existing main library is at Laurier Avenue and Metcalfe Street.

In its video, Bookmark the Core highlighted Confederation Park as an “attractive” alternative location for a library.

The group also pointed to two other properties that could be considered: one is land beside city hall, which the OPL also didn’t review during the site selection process, and the other is land at Albert and Lyon streets. It was the only site east of Bronson that made the OPL’s three-property shortlist but rated poorly because of the potential construction costs.

Watson latched onto the group’s mention of Confederation Park in his Twitter campaign.

In an interview, Watson pointed out the NCC has indicated it doesn’t want to use the park for a library. He doesn’t want library trustees to think they can propose reviewing the park as an option.

“Any board member can put forward another site, and what’s to prevent a board member from saying, you know, ‘We had this last-minute suggestion of using Confederation Park’,” Watson said.

“I wanted to make sure this was completely dormant on arrival so people clearly understood we’re not going to start taking away green space from the federal government that we have no right to in the first place.”

Watson, who campaigned on a new library in the 2014 election, plans to attend the board meeting.

So does Taman.

The only proposal on the table for the library board is for a joint facility at 557 Wellington.

Coun. Catherine McKenney, who represents the downtown area and also sits on the library board, said she can’t support the recommended site for a new main library because there are too many concerns about accessibility for people who live and work downtown.

“I hope to at the very least defer a decision so we can go back and look at what people are asking for,” McKenney said Monday.

Coun. Tim Tierney, chair of the library board, isn’t interested in delays.

“I think we have the information we need to make a decision,” Tierney said. “What I’m hearing people say is, ‘Get on with it.’ I think a lot of people are starting to talk about what this could look like.”

As for Confederation Park, Tierney said the OPL never considered asking the NCC to put a library there.

“Personally I wouldn’t support ripping out a park,” Tierney said.

The library board will send a recommendation to council, which holds the purse strings on the project. Council hasn’t discussed how to pay for a new library, but it will require the city to borrow some of the money. Revenue from the sale of the existing main library and a community fundraising campaign would also help cover the cost.

The OPL wants to break ground on a new main library in 2018.

[email protected]
twitter.com/JonathanWilling

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news...n-confusing-confederation-park-offensive

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by cr872190

Confederation Park is a terrible location but also not a very serious one. The only reason anyone is talking about it is because Jim Watson went a Twitter storm about it in an attempt to make this a two horse race between the Lebreton Flatt's space and this obscure Confederation Park idea. It makes the location Jim Watson's supporting look pretty good.

Jim Watson is mastering the Red Herring argument.

He is no longer fit to be elected to any office.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by roger1818

Not really. Lawrence Freiman Lane (as that stretch road is actually called) is the driveway for the NAC for deliveries and as an alternate exit for their underground parking.

If only there were some way of building a building over a narrow right of way, but that's impossible because buildings can't float in the air and have to be all down on the ground and so forth.

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

If only there were some way of building a building over a narrow right of way, but that's impossible because buildings can't float in the air and have to be all down on the ground and so forth.

LOL. My argument was that we can't just tear it up. We could built on top of it, but I don't see it as being very feasible in this location.

[rocketphish]

OPL board approves site, partnership for $168M super library

Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: January 31, 2017 | Last Updated: January 31, 2017 9:47 PM EST

The Ottawa Public Library won support from trustees Tuesday night to build a $168-million super library with Library and Archives Canada at the eastern edge of LeBreton Flats, despite resistance from residents who slammed the preferred site as being too far from downtown.

At the same time, some of the 21 delegates who presented to the library board lauded the OPL for selecting 557 Wellington St. as the potential future home of the City of Ottawa’s main library.

Chantal Cloutier, a member of the Friends of the OPL, said the group “loves” the proposed site and collaboration with Library and Archives Canada.

“Clearly the biggest winners of such a partnership will be the patrons,” Cloutier said.

Matthew Don Trapp, president of the International, Political and Policy Studies Student Association, said the location would work well for university students, who can use their u-pass on the future LRT line to access the library.

But Ed Pollitt, a former urban design head at the federal public works department, criticized 557 Wellington St. as being too far from the “heart” of the city.

“The proposed site is distant from the core and difficult to access by car and as a pedestrian,” Pollitt said.

Joyce Crago, who lives at Albert Street and Bronson Avenue, exposed one of the major drawbacks of the site: Albert Street between the site and just past Bronson Avenue is on a steep grade, making it difficult for anyone with mobility challenges to travel by foot.

Library board trustees voted 8-1 in support of a joint OPL-federal facility at 557 Wellington St., which is just west of Bronson Avenue. Coun. Catherine McKenney voted no.

“We are leaving people behind,” McKenney said. “We have to be honest about that.”

Mayor Jim Watson, who campaigned in 2014 on establishing a new main library, argued the site will create a link between established neighbourhoods and new ones on LeBreton Flats.

A site selection process that looked at 12 properties across the north-central part of Ottawa ranked 557 Wellington St. as the best location for a joint facility. The City of Ottawa owns the land, which today is being used as an LRT construction site.

The other two shortlisted sites were a piece of National Capital Commission land at the corner of Albert and Booth streets and land, mostly owned privately, at Albert, Lyon and Slater streets.

Public opinion appears to be on the side of the OPL.

Nanos Research polled 1,000 residents over a week in January, with 72 per cent of respondents preferring the recommended site compared with two other shortlisted properties.

The OPL has been trying to maintain momentum on a new main library for the past 15 years. Until now, the closest the city came was in 2009 when there were negotiations to buy land surrounded by Albert Lyon, Slater and Bay streets. The deal fell through in 2010.

A 2015 study recommended building a new main library after estimating the construction costs for a complete overhaul of the current main library and constructing a new one somewhere else were both $86 million (in 2017 dollars). The option to build a new library won out because of lower operating costs and fewer risk factors with starting fresh.

A 216,000-square-foot building shared with Library and Archives Canada at 557 Wellington St. would give the OPL about 62 per cent of the total floor space and have the city pay $99 million of the construction costs.

Council will be asked to ratify the library board’s decision on Feb. 8, but politicians won’t be asked to approve a financial plan until June after staff figure out how, exactly, the city should pay for the project. It will include an analysis of selling the current library building at Laurier Avenue and Metcalfe Street.

The OPL will begin looking at the parking requirements — a parking facility isn’t included in the $168-million estimate — and will return to council in March with a proposal.

Library and Archives Canada also needs the federal government’s approval this spring.

OPL wants to break ground in 2018.

[email protected]
twitter.com/JonathanWilling

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/opl-board-approves-site-partnership-for-168m-super-library

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

Joyce Crago, who lives at Albert Street and Bronson Avenue, exposed one of the major drawbacks of the site: Albert Street between the site and just past Bronson Avenue is on a steep grade, making it difficult for anyone with mobility challenges to travel by foot.

I have said this before, but the pedestrian accessibility issues can easily be resolved by constructing a level walkway from Albert and Bronson to an upper level of the library. This could be accomplished by a combination of back-filling the sidewalk and building a pedestrian bridge over Commissioner St. to the library

[Aylmer]

Also, as someone who has often biked and walked by Albert, the grade is not THAT steep. In fact, it's essentially flat, save for a 4m climb over the 30m just west of Commissioner street. It's not that far off from the 3m climb on Metcalfe beside the World Exchange Plaza. In the case of the WEP, they have an entrance on the first floor and another on the second, which could also be done for the library.

In any case, I think that the main entrance should face onto old Wellington Street ("Lower Sparks Street"), which is completely flat.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

I could support the Alterna site or Ottawa Tech. Not so much the Central Shaft site on Queen at Kent because the library would be lost among a sea of high-rise office towers.

Or, expressed another way, it would be surrounded by tens of thousands of daytime patrons, just as the current location is, just as the successful new Halifax and Vancouver main libraries are....

[AndyZagg]

I hate to defend Watson, but the video also does play up the Confederation Park site which has been mentioned in other BMC materials. That would be an bad site so not sure why they focus on that one specifically. Internal politics of BMC I guess.

[rocketphish]

Now the fun part: Designing a new 'iconic' library for Ottawa

Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: February 1, 2017 | Last Updated: February 1, 2017 11:36 AM EST

Tim Tierney is giddy at the thought of debating what a new main library should look like.

The chair of the Ottawa Public Library board of trustees was clearly relieved Tuesday night after clearing the first hurdle to finalizing a site and business partnership for a relocated main library.

At the end of a meeting that lasted more than four hours, the board voted in favour of a proposal to partner with Library and Archives Canada to build a $168-million joint facility at 557 Wellington St., just west of Bronson Avenue.

After council votes on the project next Wednesday, and assuming it passes, OPL and city staff will begin thinking about how to hire an architect.

Does the city go with a standard request for proposals (RFP) process or do something a little more flashy through an open design competition?

A design competition is by no means a slam dunk.

Tierney, a city councillor, said the OPL has already collected plenty of feedback from residents about what they want in a new main library.

“If you go to a design competition, they might (design) something that looks interesting but doesn’t have the functional capability,” Tierney said. “That’s why it’s really important to define the interior before you make the decision on which avenue, whether it’s a pure RFP, going out and picking your designer, or going to any kind of design competition.”

Tierney noted renowned architects – the “gods of the libraries,” as he described them – have already expressed interest in the OPL’s main library project.

“I am positive we are going to have the best of the best creating something great for the city,” Tierney said.

Mayor Jim Watson, who described the current main library on Metcalfe Street as a “bunker,” said the city needs a great design for a landmark building.

“I’m open to the idea of a design competition. I think we want to get something that is iconic, that will be talked about for decades to come,” Watson said. “We’ve seen some great examples in Canada with Montreal, Vancouver and Halifax. This is a very important piece of land that has a beautiful vista and view of the water and the pump house. Let’s aim as high as we can to get the best possible breadth of choices.”

Potentially tight timelines could play a role in how the OPL and city decide on a design contractor.

Council won’t approve a financial strategy until at least June and the OPL wants to break ground in 2018, almost certainly before the municipal election campaigning ramps up that summer.

Of course, Library and Archives Canada would need to agree with any design-related plans.

A design competition would likely require the city and Library and Archives Canada to assemble a jury, hold open houses and pay competitors honoraria to participate.

The city last held an international design competition for the urban park at Lansdowne Park. Council approved a competition budget of $375,000 for a park that eventually cost about $46 million to build. The city had to pare the winning design to fit the construction budget.

For now, the OPL is focused on seeing which architecture firms are interested in the project.

Monique Désormeaux, the deputy chief executive officer of the OPL, said a the process would be open to architect bidders from across the world.

Désormeaux said the OPL intends to start with a request for qualifications to shortlist architects that would be invited to compete in a request for proposals process.

“That’s still in the planning stages at this point. We haven’t worked out all those particular details,” Désormeaux said. “Right now we’re just trying to get through council.”

[email protected]
twitter.com/JonathanWilling

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/now-the-fun-part-designing-a-new-iconic-library