I saw some excellent progress on the new building today on all three levels. The lower parking level has just been painted, and the light colour, combined with plenty of natural light, give the area an open feeling, not dark and oppressive. The photo below shows what I mean.
More wall framing is taking place on the first floor, giving definition to the spaces, but the most exciting development is the addition of the beautiful support beams on the second floor. The clerestory windows and of course the massive curved roof will be built above these beams, but even still covered in plastic, they are impressive on their own!
Looking northwest
Looking southwest
At my visit to the new library site this week I could see considerable progress, particularly on the main floor, where the walls are going up, defining spaces such as the multi-purpose room and the children's area. Because we're far enough into the project that it is possible to get a feel for the layout, ORL's public relations officer, Marla O'Brien and I have created a video tour for your enjoyment:
http://www.youtube.com/OKRegLibrary
The parking level for the new branch will have 36 stalls and is filled with plenty of natural light, due to the slope of the site. The photo below shows not only the progress on this level, but also the west-facing windows (on the lower part of the slope) which will provide much of this light.
The most visible corner of the library on the ground floor features curved windows which are part of the children's area, in particular where the picture books will be shelved. This will be a wonderful area for children and parents to browse and read together - watch for additional "clover" tables and "seat-belt" chairs in bright colours! The open spaces below show where these (north-east) facing windows will be.
With a two-storey building, one of the most important elements in its construction is the elevator! There will, in fact, be two elevators in the library. One that goes between the underground parking level and the first floor, and another, located centrally on the main floor, that goes between this and the second floor.
While at the site recently, I couldn't resist taking this photo while looking up through the partially completed main-second floor elevator shaft.
The same elevator, this time viewed from the second floor. The elevator door will be on the opposite side (facing west), and will be opposite the top of the main staircase. Our main Information desk, magazines, public Internet stations, computer lab, small group study room, most adult materials and plenty of seating will be on the second floor, so I know there will be a lot of traffic going up there!
Taken a bit later in June, this photo is taken from the second floor, looking to the west. What a fabulous view!
Welcome to the new Vernon Branch library blog! Over the next several months, I will be providing regular progress reports on this exciting project as it is completed. Photos are the best way to track changes as they occur, and I will include as many as I can, along with descriptions of what you are seeing!
These photos were taken June 1, and construction has progressed since then, but I think it's interesting to see the process. This photo, looking southwest, shows the concrete columns between the first and second floors. The opening in the lower left is for the elevator shaft from the underground parking level.
This view, looking west, shows the ramp down to the entrance to the underground parking level.
This last photo taken on June 1 is looking northwest and shows the beginnings of the second floor decking. That's the corner of the Tolko building on the right, which is across 30th Avenue from the library.
