Windsor Park Library
Winnipeg, Manitoba

Category: Recent Work
Architect: David Penner Architect + h5 architecture
Owner/Client: City of Winnipeg
Structural Engineer: Wolfrom Engineering Ltd.
Mechanical Engineer: Epp Siepman Engineering
Electrical Engineer: Epp Siepman Engineering
Civil Consultant: MEC Consulting
Contractor: Canotech Consultants Ltd.
Photographer: Lindsay Reid

Jury Comments

This project is skilfully composed and deftly executed: it is a ‘mature’ building in many respects. It is cleverly sited between a busy thoroughfare and rail line, a golf course, a community centre, and an adjacent ravine and forest. In response to these constraints, the triangular shape accommodates a fully glazed spaceframe reading room and collections area adjacent to the forest, which provides a natural extension to the reading area. The meeting rooms and support spaces are gathered to the north along an increasingly opaque Corten steel façade that covers a concrete form. A continuous arcade and Prairie grasses foreground the entry to the library from the street. Overall, the building transcends its intended purpose and offers the community a refuge and place to access the world through the printed word.