Capilano Library
Edmonton, Alberta

Category: Recent Work
Project Owner: City of Edmonton
Architect: Group2 Architecture Interior Design (Prime Consultant) in partnership with Patkau Architects
Landscape Architect: Design North
Structural Engineer: Fast + Epp
Mechanical Engineer: Williams Engineering Canada
Electrical Engineer: WSP
Civil Engineer: ISL
Acoustics Consultant: RWDI
Contractor: PCL
Photographer: Jim Dow Photography

Jury Comments

This project has been executed with skill and humanity. The strategic siting of this building between a neighbourhood and a ravine, brings nature to the foreground. The overarching 77m long roof volume is artfully sculpted to reinterpret its immediate context and to create a spatial variety as rich and varied as the program functions it supports. Materials and daylighting are used judiciously; further, daylighting and artificial lighting are seamlessly integrated throughout to enhance the user experience and more importantly, to connect with the immediate landscape and the path of the sun. The rich variety of views and the affordances provided by the careful placement of fenestration and screening further connect the user with nature and the community. Since its opening, this project has become a destination for old and young alike to participate in its various programs and spaces, both inside and out. This is a library that serves as an agent for social and environmental awareness.