Slide 1 - TEXT ON SCREEN: Ottawa Public Library and Library and Archives Canada Joint Facility.)

Welcome to the consultation process for the new Central Library and your partnership with Library and Archives Canada. In an age of information, grounded in history and building for the future, this partnership between a civic and a national institution is remarkable, unique and represents a new opportunity. This is an important new civic space for the community and the National Capital region.

Our cities and our communities are changing rapidly. The importance of libraries, exhibition spaces, archives serving as a crossroads for community and collaboration is strong and relevant.

As architects we believe our work can provide this community with space to embrace that change for greater public good.  On a foundation of social purpose, we create buildings which strive to enrich communities - with design that transcends.

Your planning and thinking about this new facility has been going on for some time.

Over the 5 years from 2013 to 2017 the Library and the city have conducted a number of public consultations. Over 3,000 people participated. A functional program was developed and a thorough comprehensive architectural selection process was completed.

Now our team of architects, specialist consultants and engineers are joining your conversation about the Public Library and Archives Canada. We are very conscious we are joining the community dialogue. And the Community consultation is the foundation on which we will design the library.  Thus we are joining the dialogue with curiosity and with respect but we are also expecting to bring ideas and perspectives to the consultation.

(Slide 2 - TEXT ON SCREEN: Technical presentation 1 - Site context and opportunities)

Tonight we’re really focussing on 2 workshops. One is about the site and one is about the built form.

(Slide 3 - TEXT ON SCREEN: Site context)

Let’s talk about the site context and its opportunities.

(Slide 4 - Aerial view of downtown Ottawa and Gatineau with landmarks highlighted - TEXT ON SCREEN: Canadian Museum of History, National Gallery of Canada, Canadian War Museum, National Holocaust Museum, Supreme Court of Canada, Parliament Building, National Arts Centre)

The new site is situated at a very important nexus in Ottawa. You see it in the blue patch overlooking LeBreton Flats. It lies at a crossroads between the existing downtown and the emerging neighbourhood of LeBreton Flats and there is no doubt LeBreton will be the site of exciting new urban initiatives and significant growth.

By its position in the broader street structure of Ottawa, the site is embedded in the fabric of the urban core and tied to surrounding neighbourhoods and civic institutions.

It’s also adjacent to the Parliamentary Precinct, one of the great ensembles of buildings for parliamentary democracy in the world. This is part of the national reach of this partnership.

(Slide 5 - Aerial view of downtown Ottawa and Gatineau with red line surrounding middle area - TEXT ON SCREEN: Confederation Boulevard)

The site is on the cusp of Confederation Boulevard, which connects the lands of our three founding peoples. In this way the site embraces the country’s social and cultural values and it enables the City to open up to the future. The site allows the facility to be inclusive, accessible and diverse.

(Slide 6 - Aerial view of downtown riverfront with Chaudière Falls and LeBreton Flats area outlined in green showing proximity to library location, indicated in blue. - TEXT ON SCREEN: First Nations Gathering Place: Chaudiere Falls and LeBreton Flats were the traditional gathering places for the first nations communities along the Ottawa River)

·  The site is close to the Chaudière Falls and LeBreton Flats, traditional gathering places for First nations along the river.

(Slide 7 - Aerial view of downtown riverfront with Chaudiere and Albert Islands highlighted in blue showing showing proximity to library location, indicated in blue. - TEXT ON SCREEN: Industry: The timber trade that fed the United Kingdom then America ran down the Ottawa River past Chaudiere Island)

·  The area was a focus for the timber trade focused on the river and associated industry. 

(Slide 8: Aerial view of downtown riverfront with Fleet Street area outlined in blue showing proximity to library location, indicated in blue. - TEXT ON SCREEN: Water: The Fleet Street Pumping station: Ottawa’s first and still active water pumping station fed and still feeds Ottawa’s water supply.

·  The Fleet Street Station was Ottawa’s first pumping station. It still supplies the City.

(Slide 9: Aerial view of downtown riverfront with Fleet Street area outlined in blue showing proximity to library location, indicated in blue, and a deep blue line showing the Sir John A MacDonald Parkway - TEXT ON SCREEN: Infrastructure: Conceived as part of the Greber Plan, the Sir John A MacDonald Parkway is a scenic roadway that runs East/West along the Ottawa River and becomes a key gateway to the city for residents and visitors.

·  The Sir John A Macdonald Parkway built part of the Greber Plan still is a scenic roadway and gateway for the City.

(Slide 10: Aerial view of downtown riverfront with Fleet Street area outlined in blue showing proximity to library location, indicated in blue, and a deep blue line showing the Sir John A MacDonald Parkway and a deep red line showing the Confederation Line - TEXT ON SCREEN: Mobility: The new Confederation Line Light Rail system running East/West across Ottawa. One of its stops will be at the doorstep of the new Library)

·  New public transit, the Confederation Line, will stop almost at the front door of the library and archives connecting all of Ottawa and the region to the main library and Library and Archives Canada.

(Slide 11: Aerial view of downtown riverfront with Fleet Street area outlined in blue showing proximity to library location, indicated in blue, and a deep blue line showing the Sir John A MacDonald Parkway and a deep red line showing the Confederation Line and a light blue line highlighting the Portage Bridge - TEXT ON SCREEN: Identity: Coming from Hull onto the Portage Bridge one is afforded unique off axis views of the site that reinforce the principles of the Greber Plan and provide interesting opportunities to create a powerful landmark at the Western edge of downtown)

·  It is a site with great visibility and the opportunity for a landmark.  

(Slide 12: Aerial view of 555 Albert Street site with the escarpment, river bank and water highlighted near the library location in blue)

It embraces the topography and wild landscape of the Ottawa River, the canal, the cliff edges, the mythic Canadian landscape of our values. In this sense the location embodies the new conversation about urban form, which is about bringing natural systems into the city

(Slide 13: Aerial view of 555 Albert Street site with the escarpment, river bank and water highlighted near the library location in blue, as well as markers to highlight the Sir John A MacDonald Parkway, Confederation Line, pedestrian movement, TransCanada Trail, Confederation Boulevard, trail connections and local connections)

So whether by parkway, boulevard, pathway, LRT, bikeway or trail the site is at a nexus in the City of connection to the community locally and regionally.

(Slide 14: TEXT ON SCREEN: Building context)

Let’s talk about the building context.

(Slide 15: Aerial view of 555 Albert Street site in blue and landmark buildings in red. The riverfront is highlighted in green.)

As I mentioned earlier, the Library/Archives site is close to one of the most beautiful parliamentary precincts in the world, bridging the urban context and the wild landscape of Canada exemplified by the Ottawa River and Chaudière Falls. 

(Slide 16: Images illustrating the towers on major landmarks. TEXT ON SCREEN: Parliament Building, National Arts Centre, Canadian War Museum, National Gallery)

The context is one of landmark buildings characterized by towers.

(Slide 17 and 18: Images illustrating the features on major landmarks. TEXT ON SCREEN: Parliament Building, National Arts Centre, Canadian War Museum, National Gallery)

It’s characterized by a relationship with landscape these elemental silhouettes against the landscape.

(Slide 19: Images illustrating four landmarks pointing at each other. TEXT ON SCREEN: Crown, Town, Nature, Indigenous)

It is a context characterized by the crown and the town, nature and indigenous occupation.

(Slide 20: Images illustrating four landmarks and the arrows reaching each other. TEXT ON SCREEN: Crown, Town, Nature, Indigenous)

And those elements meet together at the library site

(Slide 21: TEXT ON SCREEN: Views to and from)

Let’s talk about views

(Slide 22: Aerial view of 555 Albert Street site in blue and landmark buildings in red, and red arrows showing the views to the site)

  •  The site as you can see in the bottom of the slide is very prominent with respect to views towards the site.

(Slide 23: Photo of the new library site from Albert Street. TEXT ON SCREEN: View from Albert Street looking south-west)

  •  In these models, the view along Albert catches the southeast corner of the site. By the way, the dotted black line is the permitted building envelope but we’ll likely be building much smaller than that.

(Slide 24: Photo of the new library site from Pimisi Station. TEXT ON SCREEN: View from Pimisi Station)

•  The built form has a major presence when seen from Pimisi station.

(Slide 25: Photo of the new library site from Albert Street. TEXT ON SCREEN: View from Albert Street looking north-east)

•  The view along Albert looking northeast shows its prominence. 

(Slide 26: Photo of new Library site from the watercourse. TEXT ON SCREEN: Watercourse Walkway view)

•  The watercourse, the landscape, the views from the pumping station are seen in this image.

(Slide 27: Photo of Ottawa river and LeBreton Flats. TEXT ON SCREEN: View from site looking west)

•  But also looking out from the site, looking towards the West, the views from the building areremarkable: the River, the War Museum, Centretown and Westboro.

(Slide 28: Photo from the new Library site to Gatineau TEXT ON SCREEN: Views from site looking north, Chaudiere Falls, Victoria Island, Gatineau, Portage Bridge, Wellington Street, Ottawa River)

•  Looking north to the Gatineau, the Falls and the river you have an iconic landscape in front of you.

(Slide 29: Photo from the new Library site to Gatineau TEXT ON SCREEN: Views from site looking east, Gatineau, Portage Bridge, Wellington Street, Ottawa River, Library and Archives Canada)

  •  And looking East towards Library and Archives Canada, which you can see in the centre of the slide, and Wellington Street.

(Slide 30: Photo from the new Library site to downtown Ottawa and Gatineau TEXT ON SCREEN: Views from site looking south east, LeBreton Flats, Chaudiere Falls, Ottawa River, Pumping Station and Aqueduct, Centretown)

  •  These high views are looking to the east towards the City.

(Slide 31: TEXT ON SCREEN: Workshop exercise 1)

So with this background and this understanding of the context, we really want to begin with 4 questions:

(Slide 32: Illustration of the site with photos. TEXT ON SCREEN: How will you access the site? Ottawa River. Parliamentary Precinct. Centretown. West Centretown. Fleet St. Pumphouse. War Museum. LeBreton Flats. Pimisi LRT station. Escarpment. Aqueduct.)

1.  How will you access the site? Where are the key points of arrival? Where will you come from?

(Slide 33: Illustration of the site with photos. TEXT ON SCREEN: What are the best features of the site? Ottawa River. Parliamentary Precinct. Centretown. West Centretown. Fleet St. Pumphouse. White water course. War Museum. LeBreton Flats. Pimisi LRT station. Escarpment. Aqueduct.)

2.  What are the engaging features of importance that surround the site? You see some of them listed on these images.

(Slide 34: Illustration of the site with photos. TEXT ON SCREEN: What are the best views to and from the site? View East. View South East. View North. View West. Ottawa River. Parliamentary Precinct. Centretown. West Centretown. Fleet St. Pumphouse. War Museum. LeBreton Flats. Pimisi LRT station. Escarpment. Aqueduct.)

3.  What are the best views to the site and where are the views we should capture as architects looking out from the site? It’s not only how is the building seen but how does the City is seen from the building

(Slide 35: Illustration of the site with photos. TEXT ON SCREEN: How do we take advantage of these opportunities? Ottawa River. Parliamentary Precinct. Centretown. West Centretown. Fleet St. Pumphouse. White water course. War Museum. LeBreton Flats. Pimisi LRT station. Escarpment. Aqueduct.)

4.  How should we as architect take advantage or leverage of these opportunities?

(Slide 36: TEXT ON SCREEN: Workshop exercise 1. We want your input on how to take advantage of all these opportunities the site has to offer. Have a look at the aerial maps on your table and use the stickers and markers available to give us your feedback on these questions: 1. How will you access the site? 2. What are the best features surrounding the site? 3. What are the best views to and from the site? 4. How can we take advantage of all of these opportunities?)

So workshop exercise 1 is really to develop your input and engagement with all of these advantages and how do we take advantage of these opportunities.