Date of Completion: 2005

Architect: Shore Tilbe Irwin and Partners (now Perkins+Will)

Nominated by: Lorne Coe, MPP (Whitby)

By establishing a dynamic relationship between grand interior public spaces and an active outdoor plaza, the Whitby Central Library and its accompanying civic square define a new hub for the growing town that is more than the sum of its parts.

Making Urban Space

Bounded on its northern edge by busy four-lane Dundas Street and other smaller-scale residential roads in the east, west, and south, much of the success of the Whitby Public Library stems from its careful placement on the site—taking advantage of existing site constraints and conditions and the introduction of new programs to define unique urban outdoor spaces with vibrant indoor-outdoor relationships.

With much of the library’s L-shaped massing pushed to the south, the north of the site is anchored by a grand urban plaza. Host of many civic and community events, this large outdoor gathering space is framed on all four sides by a variety of architectural and landscape elements that aim to activate this community space. Each element plays a role, reinforcing each other in their ultimate goal of making a successful outdoor space. 

To the east, the plaza is enclosed by a long linear bar building that houses the library meeting rooms and café on its lower floor and the archives and administrative offices on its second floor. This building features a light transparent base, allowing the café and meeting rooms to spill into the square and animate the space. To the north along Dundas Street, The Urban Filter, a linear canopy with light copper roof and limestone-clad structural piers, defines the plaza’s edge and provides a spatial and psychological buffer from traffic. This infrastructural element also provides shelter, lighting, and power to support outdoor art shows and markets. The western edge is framed by a tiered linear reflecting pool, taking advantage of the site’s slope to create a visual and acoustic threshold. Finally, the south edge of the plaza is defined by the most animated aspects of the library’s interior program, with a two-storey reading lounge visually opening to the civic square beyond.

It is worth noting that the library’s distinctive L-shape is partially the result of the unique phasing of the project, as the old 1960s Whitby Public Library designed by Moriyama and Teshima needed to remain operational while the new library was under construction. This old library, now demolished, used to sit where the civic square now stands. About 80% of the existing mature trees on the site were retained, informing the shape of the building and public plaza, which includes numerous pedestrian links and forecourts to the surrounding urban fabric. 

Built for the Long Haul

While the library features a mix of high-tech and low-tech approaches toward sustainability, a key and often overlooked notion is the recognition of the energy required to not only build but also maintain the building. The Whitby Public Library has been designed as a 50-year building, with the client consciously setting a construction budget that anticipated long-term savings in building wear, operation, and maintenance costs. The selection of high-quality copper, Indiana Limestone, and glass mosaic tile as exterior cladding represents an initial cost that is offset in the long run by the proven integrity and durability of these materials in precedents of civic architecture.

Similarly, the library takes advantage of its site and placement to introduce a number of low-tech, high-impact sustainability solutions that reduce its overall operational costs and provide greater comfort to its patrons. Most of the glazing is concentrated toward the new civic plaza’s north side, which is an orientation providing consistent, diffused light to the interior without the fear of glare or solar heat gain.

In contrast, on the west facade, deep stone-clad fins shade glazed lounges against the sun’s rays in the latter part of the day. The south façade also features deep canopy overhangs and a series of indirect natural light sources to reduce solar heat gain. Its few openings and solid architectural expression have the added advantage of minimizing light pollution to neighbouring residences during evening hours of operation.

Section cut north-south through the building, looking east. Drawing courtesy of Perkins&Will.

Its carefully considered design has quickly established the Whitby Central Library and Civic Square as a cherished public space, and its design excellence recognized with numerous awards including an Honourable Mention at the 2006 Design Exchange awards and a Public and Institutional Spaces Award of Merit from the Association of Registered Interior Designers of Ontario (ARIDO). In 2007, the building was awarded the Library Architectural and Design Transformation Award from the Ontario Library Association (OLA).

This post forms part of our World Architecture Day Queen’s Park Picks 2021 series in which the OAA asked Ontario’s Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) to nominate a prominent building, past or present, in their riding for a chance to learn more about it. Check out the rest of the series to learn more about great buildings across the province! 

Additional Resources

Interested in learning more about The Whitby Central Library and Civic Square? Check out these additional resources:

• Long Overdue, Canadian Architect
• A Library Says a Lot About a Town: A Virtual History of the Whitby Public Library from 1854-Present, Whitby Public Library
• Whitby Public Library and Civic Square, Smith + Anderson