Library Buildings around the World

The ground floor works with the natural grade of the site in communicating a fluidity of public functions: café, periodicals reading
area, internet atelier and multi-purpose meeting room. A grand stair dominates the lobby and leads to the second floor, emerging
into the double-height oblique hall, a vast space which contrasts to the ordered density of the stacks on the second and third floors.
Conceived as "clearings in a dense forest" of printed material, the various reading areas and work rooms interspersed with the
stacks on these floors can be perceived as inner courts that provide framed views of the exterior landscape.
Julien De Smedt: The Bibliothèque Municipale de Châteauguay appears as a villa in the landscape. By that I mean that it manages to
address and invite its surroundings with the ability of a smaller structure: the park climbs over a multipurpose room and turns its
roof into a piece of nature. A similar work of continuity occurs on a programmatic level, where the classical idea of a promenade
architecturale is revisited by the injection of diagonal visual relationships, thickening the overall richness of the building. I
particularly appreciated the sobriety yet clarity of the material choices as well as the economy of ornament. The raw aesthetic
contributes to focusing the means towards practical/active effects rather than stylistic waste. Canadian Architrect 2006-05-01
(http://www.canadianarchitect.com)
B + H, Toronto, ON – Canada
B+H Architects (formerly known as Bregman + Hamann Architects), founded in 1953, is an international architecture, interior
design and urban planning firm. Based in Toronto
B+H BuntingCoady is now B+H Architects
October 15, 2012
October 15, 2012, marks an important milestone in our firm’s progress in British Columbia. On this date we are completing the
transition that began in 2010 when we acquired Bunting Coady Architects and merged the firm with our existing Vancouver
practice. Now, in accordance with regulatory directives, our team previously known as B+H BuntingCoady Architects is being
rebranded B+H Architects. Our hospitality interior design team will retain their current name, B+H CHIL Design.
Our Vancouver practice is thriving as one of Western Canada’s leading architecture and interior design firms, renowned for
designing buildings that are healthy, integrated and energy efficient. The practice has earned a strong position in the Vancouver
market, and has received numerous awards for design quality and building performance. Recent examples include many awards,
amongst them three top rankings from the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties, being awarded to Broadway
Tech, a Canadian Architect Award of Excellence win for Heritage Mountain Middle School, the Shangri-La Vancouver being rated
the #1 luxury hotel in Canada by TripAdvisor as well as having been awarded an exclusive and highly-coveted Five Diamond AAA
rating, and a total of four B+H CHIL Design projects being ranked among the top 25 hotels in Canada by TripAdvisor.
To steer the Vancouver practice towards future success, Bruce Knapp will be leading the team in his role as Managing Principal.
B+H is committed to maintaining the focus on sustainability that our Vancouver practice is so well known for and ensuring that it
continues to integrate with our global operations. At the same time we will continue to thrill clients and guests alike with the most
exciting and memorable hospitality environments. We thank our clients, employees, and industry partners for their contribution to
our success thus far, and look forward to many more years of world-class projects lead by our team in Vancouver and our teams
around the world
http://www.bharchitects.com
Libraries:
Heritage Mountain Middle School, Anmore, BC – Canada in progress
Client: School District No. 43 (Coquitlam), Size: 58,437 ft² | 5,429 m²
Awards:
Heritage Mountain Middle School received a 2011 Canadian Architect Award of Excellence.
The underlying goal of the new middle school design is to create an environment for learning that captivates the imagination of the
students and actively encourages exploration and growth. The space intends to simultaneously stimulate teachers, staff and visitors
through their experience within the school. The result is a design that creates a series of carefully considered, light-filled spaces
which seamlessly integrate into the natural landscape.
Rather than advancing with a response based on the idea of “teaching”, the design team consciously redirected point of view and
formalized a creative response from the standpoint of “learning”. Understanding the manner in which children learn, interpret and
discover our world provided the underlying methodology for the design of the new middle school which focused on education
through interaction. This approach was a fundamental means of informing and ultimately formalizing an architectural response
which was a direct result of the act of interpretation and discovery. It allowed the design team to approach the design process
without preconception or reticence. The derivative is a design which innovatively responds to the specific program, the client’s needs,
budget constraints and simultaneously addresses the unique challenges of this particular site. As a synthesis, the product is a design
concept which places emphasis on student exploration and provides a learning-based environment which has been conceived
“through the eyes of the students”.
The tiered building design is characterized by an earth-bermed lower level which supports the elevated main classroom level where
the building effectively acts as a new connective link between the upper Anmore Village and the lower Port Moody side adjacent to
an existing Secondary School. The main level of the school is a “U-shaped” configuration where the two primary classroom wings
and the centrally located library open onto a common elevated courtyard space which optimally binds the program spaces in which
students learn. (B+H)
Canadian Music Centre, Toronto – Canada 2012
Client: Canadian Music Centre, Size: 623ft2/190m2
Located in Central Toronto, The Canadian Music Centre holds Canada’s largest collection of Canadian concert music, and acts as a
resource centre for students and composers. The building was originally constructed in 1892 in the Queen Anne style. This project
saw the renovation of the second floor, which had previously comprised a series of walled-off offices, into a modernized, open-plan
area including a performance space, library, and lounge, as well as private offices and a washroom.
Throughout much of the floor, walls and drop-ceilings were removed to create a more fluid and bright space. The entry to the
central staircase was relocated and opened up to provide views into the performance space when entering the floor. The
performance space was designed to feature a grand piano, and also includes a small sound room for recording performances. In the
library area, fixed shelving was replaced with a series of movable storage units, designed to be able to adapt to the needs of the
organization and to accommodate both archival materials and more modern storage media. The lounge area includes a kitchenette
and seating, providing a meeting place for music students and composers.
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