A New Central Library for Sydney - All the Details

Last evening, 27 Mar 2019, the Cape Breton Central Library Advocacy Committee hosted a presentation of the latest design concept for a new central library on the Sydney waterfront.

 

The new library is conceived as a signature municipal infrastructure project for the CBRM. The proponents believe the new library will both trigger-and-sustain significant social, political, and economic gains for the municipality. I will touch on some of them below.

 

The latest concept is a four-story, glass-walled, elliptical design. Sydney architect, Spiro Trifos, explained that the design serves both symbolic and practical purposes. On the symbolic side, the design is meant to honour Cape Breton’s Mi’kmaw heritage and to facilitate the reconciliation of Cape Breton’s native and non-native communities.

 

The elliptical form and the diagonal support structure of the planned library are meant to resemble a native drum, which Membertou Chief Terry Paul explained to Trifos, carries significant symbolic meaning for the Mi’kmaq. There would also be dedicated space near the library for a Sweat Lodge and other Mi’kmaq ceremonial activities.

 

Symbolically, a building with no corners offers a limitless track and unbounded use of space. The solid walls of windows will provide spectacular views of the harbour and city from every spot in the building.

 

The proposed elliptical form has some practical advantages as well. Trifos says that squared corners are often at odds with effective library uses, while the elliptical spaces lend themselves to a wider variety of uses and activities. Trifos offered numerous examples of both modern and ancient libraries that employed circular or elliptical design.

 

The two main floors of the library are essentially identical with permanent infrastructure like bathrooms and elevators and activity rooms in the center. Library collections and stacks would occupy space next to the core. And finally seating and desks would be placed around the entire perimeter next to the windows. The top floor is smaller. It looks like the bridge of a ship and has a couple of what Trifos calls ceremonial rooms.

 

The lowest level of the building, which is at the level of the boardwalk, is mostly just support structures for the library above. The core containing elevators, a staircase, and a parking garage for the Bookmobile would be at this level. The rest is a forest of posts that support the building. Trifos envisions some unenclosed car parking happening here.

 

Trifos anticipates periodic flooding at this level due to extraordinary storm surges and or rising sea-level. For that reason there would be no mechanical or electrical equipment at this level, just support structures and the garage. The main entrance and first floor of the library would be one story up.

The location on the Sydney waterfront is the source of some controversy. Objectors said that the waterfront location would be inaccessible to lower-income groups, that it will negatively affect harbor views from The Esplanade, and that it may create new security and safety issues for boardwalk users.

 

The project proponents argued the exact opposite. They said that the public library is a key piece of public infrastructure for everyone in the community, and holds a special role in providing municipal resources and support to everyone, because you don’t need to pay to use it. They argued that its location at the foot of Dorchester Street makes it easily accessible for bus users, and indeed that they expect to have a bus stop right at the front door when the building is complete.

 

They argued that the library will offer exceptional views of the harbor for everyone. And they argued that it would be in the public interest to have the public library there, rather than let private interests control that space and its views.

 

They argued that the security and safety issues at the Boardwalk level could be addressed-and-managed with effective lighting and security cameras.

Trifos went on to say that it has been the municipality’s intent and direction to develop the Sydney waterfront with public purposes in mind. In his view, there has been steady progress in this direction ever since the 1960s.

 

Jim Wooder, Project Manager with Harbour Royale Development Limited (HRDL) spoke to some of the political and technical issues surrounding the project.

 

HRDL, which is Marty Chernin’s company, is proposing the library as one part of a larger commercial development of the waterfront land between the Big Fiddle and the Holiday Inn.

 

The proposed library is an enticement, offered by HRDL to make the CBRM more amenable to the other commercial developments.

 

And the idea worked. Wooder says that CBRM Council has unanimously endorsed the HRDL’s plan, and that the CBRM Planning Department has long advocated the development of an iconic public building (the library) on the waterfront. Indeed, there is some excitement at city hall as this would be the CBRM’s first major infrastructure project since amalgamation.

 

Wooder is anticipating financial support from three levels of government to build the library. He also expects there will be a CBRM-directed Community Capital Campaign to raise money for the library. He pointed to a similar campaign in Truro that raise one-million dollars for their new library. The money was used to purchase furniture and fixtures.

 

Wooder see the development of the waterfront in three stages:

 

Stage 1:  The Library gets built.

 

Stage 2:  HRDL builds an apartment building nearby on The Esplanade. 70 units. 9 stories. 8 units per floor. An average unit would be 1,500 square feet and have 2 bedrooms. One-bedroom units would also be available.

 

Stage 3:  HRDL has plans for a commercial building with a footprint similar to the apartment building, also fronting on The Esplanade.  The planning for this tower “is not far advanced”.

 

The next step is a study to get public input about the kinds of programming and services that would be offered at the library. The municipality is especially interested in knowing what the operating budget will be. That will depend in part on the services offered and the staffing levels required. Wooder expects the funding will be in place for this study quite soon.

 

When asked about the likelihood of governments producing the money to build the library, Wood said, “I don’t have a crystal ball. But I make sure that all the key parties are well-informed about what is happening”.

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