The Clearview Library Branch in Stayner, Ontario, plays an important role in the Community, as a resource centre and a place for more comprehensive civic functions, and as a hub for social services and interaction. Strategically connected to the Hockey Arena and Community Centre, the goal of the new Library addition was to significantly enhance the existing building’s amenities and offer a family-friendly complex for the entire Township of Clearview.
The approach to the design was two-fold: the aim of maximizing the possibility of shared-use spaces while creating a bright, engaging and significant public building. The modest – but impactful – intervention integrates three programmatic functions of the Community Centre into a single cohesive institution, with a powerful design language that energizes the complex and site as a whole.
The siting for the addition – to the east of the existing Community Centre – maximizes views to the landscape from within the Library. The siting orientation is on a true north/south axis, providing the best position to capture natural light and mitigate heat gain.
At Clearview the intention was not simply to design a library but an innovative community hub with an exceptional concept and excellent resolution for circulation, collaborative spaces, formal and informal gathering spaces, and everyday social spaces. We designed the library to exploit natural light, frame engaging views (inside and out), and offer unique spatial qualities conducive to learning, socializing and working toward personal and collaborative achievement. The approach is multi-scaled from overall concept to intricate details and garners a deep understanding of the Clearview Public Library’s culture, context and programme.
