Mill Woods Library & Seniors Centre

Location: Edmonton, AB
Year: 2015
Status: Completed
Size: 2300 m² / 25,000 ft²
Joint Venture Architects: HCMA Architecture + Design
Sustainable Certification: LEED Gold
Awards:
• Edmonton Urban Design Awards | Award of Merit - Urban Architecture (2015)
• Alberta Construction Magazine | Top Projects Award - Institutional (2015)
• ALA/IIDA Library Interior Design Award | Category Winner - Public Libraries (2016)

Located in the Mill Woods community of Edmonton, this facility provides an inclusive, inviting and flexible facility that meets the changing and expanding needs of the community, and acts as a community focal point for the area. The building houses both a branch library as well as a seniors’ activity facility. Set within the context of suburban malls and big box retail, the new building announces its civic presence by dramatically revealing the functions through a sculptural interior space.

The design is conceived as an opaque volume from which the public space has been “carved”, with support spaces hidden within the “solid” portions of the building’s form. An informal programming of spaces within the ground-floor library is reflected in the sculptural ceiling, which is “eroded” to create an arrangement of spaces at various scales. The material expression of the concept further emphasizes the contrasting spatial characteristics. The dark metallic mass of the building contrasts with the public spaces that are light in colour - creating bright, airy multi-storey spaces.