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Dec 15 - Dec 22,2002 |
Ahead by quarter century
Renovations to breathe new life into Toronto Reference Library
By Mark Curtis
Originally Published: 2002-11-24
Raymond Moriyama was clearly ahead of his time.
Back in the 1970s, Toronto was in need of a new central library and Moriyama, architect of the Ontario Science Centre just a few years earlier, proposed a daring glass box design. City council deemed his proposal too costly, however, and the architect revised his plans to create a brick and glass structure which became the Toronto Reference Library. This month marks the Yonge and Bloor library's 25th anniversary.
Last year, the Toronto library board again turned to Moriyama's firm, Moriyama & Teshima Architects, to breathe new life into Toronto Reference through a series of renovations. This time it is Raymond Moriyama's 39-year-old son, Ajon, who is leading the design team and the renovation plans strongly resonate with his father's original design and its emphasis on transparency. This building quality which the elder Moriyama proposed 25 years ago has real currency with today's architecture. Daniel Libeskind's design of a renovated Royal Ontario Museum, for example, also emphasizes a transparent façade intended to convey a sense of activity and cultural richness.
Renovation work has proceeded slowly to allow the library's day-to-day activities to continue with minimum interruption. The first change was completed last November, when the lower level reading room was expanded by 30 percent with a new emphasis on bright and open space. The younger Moriyama designed a radiating circular floor plan and also created canted glass tables to make newspaper reading easier. The area is defined by etched glass panels and a stainless steel "flying newspaper" sculpture which symbolically connects the room to adjoining areas of the library.
Next month will reveal a new computer terrace on the main level. Moriyama designed a stepped area with hardwood benches and a terminal set-up in which some users will face passers-by and others will have their backs to the main library space. It's part of the architect's plan to create a dynamic and visually arresting environment.
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