centre
Toronto, Canada / Winter 2019
For many, a library can be described as a source, a point from which one grows. It is traditionally a place where we go to consume knowledge and to learn. We go there to expand the infinity of our minds, and to satisfy our curiosity.
The Library has also become a place in which children are able to learn through play and through exploring their sense of creativity. CENTRE works in harmony with these concepts. Holding a tree as the library’s vertex point, CENTRE’s inhabitants can grow along with it.
And so, in the presence of the tree, we grow.
CENTRE’s louvered cladding system diffuses sunlight to create a comfortable work environment within. Its shape encourages daylighting as the library’s form reflects the path of the sun.
In CENTRE’s play space, children are able to explore their creativity. The space’s shelves all slope towards the central tree, guiding the children’s gaze towards what grows along with them as they play, create and discover.
A terrace can be found at the top of CENTRE. Acting as a motivator of curiosity, it allows people to look at the world from a new point of view. Skylights gaze down upon underlying parts of the library, introducing a new perspective to those looking into the building from above.