The Harris Learning Library was completed by Monteith Construction and designed by Diamond and Schmitt Architects in joint venture with Evans Bertrand Hill Wheeler Architecture Inc. Located in North Bay, Ontario, the library is shared between Nipissing University and Canadore College.
A facility that has been designed to usher in a new era of academic study in northern Ontario has opened in North Bay.
The three-storey, 56,000-square-foot Harris Learning Library serves as a new gateway to the shared Nipissing University and Canadore College campus and doubles the size of existing collection space and student user space.
Designed by Diamond and Schmitt Architects in joint venture with Evans Bertrand Hill Wheeler Architecture Inc., the facility was built by Monteith Construction at a cost of $19 million.
Project team members included structural engineers Blackwell Bowick Partnership, mechanical-electrical engineers Crossey Engineering Ltd. and civil engineers Trow Associates Inc.
“This building creates a strong new identity and is positioned as an entry beacon for the campus,” said Gary McCluskie, a principal at Diamond and Schmitt.
“Equally importantly, the library will act as a gateway to learning by providing access to digital and print collections as well as a range of different study spaces.”
Key architectural elements include two large, fully glazed volumes that bookend the building with a double-storey study hall at one end and service space at the other.
A three-storey skylight atrium serves as the axis for student orientation and provides natural day lighting throughout.
A “unique” feature, Diamond and Schmitt said, is a terraced reading area with built-in seating on a gentle grade between the first and second floors. The periodical reading room provides views over the forest landscape.
The library serves “equally” as a resource centre and a town square for information exchange where students can access group study space, computer rooms, distant learning facilities, informal study space and traditional reading rooms.
The configuration transitions from social learning on the lower floors to study space that is “quieter and more focused” on the third floor.
A special feature of the library is the treaty learning centre, designed for studying the experiences of First Nations in Canada.
Canadore College and Nipissing University said the library also provides increased connectivity with regional campuses and the “ever-expanding world” of digital resources.
There will be immediate benefits to the entire region as well, the institutions said.
Through the public and academic libraries sharing (PALS) initiative, surrounding community libraries will be able to access resources in the Harris Learning Library. Students in turn will have access to the holdings of nine regional public libraries.
Funding came from a variety of sources. The Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities contributed $18 million, Nipissing and Canadore raised $7 million and the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund provided $1 million.
“The students, faculty, staff and members of our community can access the world of knowledge and understanding in a building that is truly beautiful,” said Nipissing University president Lesley Lovett-Doust.
The library officially opened late last month.
Recent Comments
comments for this post are closed