BRAMPTON, ON (July 11, 2019) – The City of Brampton and Brampton Library are excited to announce that Springdale Branch Library has won the Ontario Library Association (OLA) New Library Building Award.

The 2019 award recipients, including Springdale Branch Library, were honoured yesterday, Wednesday, July 10, in Ottawa, Ontario, at the Annual Institute on the Library as Place conference. The OLA New Library Building Awards are awarded every three years to encourage and showcase excellence in new library buildings in Ontario.

Springdale Branch Library boasts 25,000 square feet of library space, including room for programs, quiet study, engaging activities and a stunning children’s area with an imaginative skylight, all capped by a green roof, grey water system, geo-thermal heating and cooling, and other attributes that combine to make this branch a candidate for LEED Gold certification.

“Our Springdale branch is a game-changer that reinvents perceptions of public library space,” said Brampton Library CEO Rebecca Raven. “The vision to inspire connections in this well-established neighbourhood culminated in the spectacular building design. We wanted the public to see themselves here and the response has been tremendous. Over 1000 people use our Springdale Branch every day.”

The design by Rounthwaite Dick & Hadley (RDH) Architects Inc. is both functional and aesthetically striking. The windows are covered in a solar-responsive ceramic frit that resembles the pages of a book and helps to reduce glare and heat gain. RDH also designed the four-acre greenfield site outside of the library, which won the firm a 2015 Canadian Architecture award for design excellence. 

The City of Brampton recently opened Komagata Maru Park beside Springdale Branch Library. The park is a tribute to those who were on the SS Komagata Maru ship, and honours all immigrants and their struggles, triumphs and contributions to the mosaic of Canada. The park is designed around the concept of a “library in the park”, where the shapes of playground equipment, such as slides and climbers, spell the word IMAGINE.

“Brampton is a Green City,” said Mayor Patrick Brown. “We make it a priority to design and construct buildings that set a high standard for beauty, functionality and environmental responsibility. Springdale Branch Library embodies these priorities and, alongside Komagata Maru Park, it has become an important community hub. We are proud to be recognized by the OLA for this outstanding facility.”

For more information on Brampton Library, visit www.bramptonlibrary.ca. For details on Komagata Maru Park, visit www.brampton.ca.