Changes have been made to the initial interior design of Saskatoon’s new central library following public consultations.
“We’re excited to share how the new central library is progressing and how input from the community helped shape the design,” Carol Cooley, chief executive of Saskatoon Public Library, said in a release.
“We’re excited about how the vision of the new central library is becoming a reality for Saskatoon.”
One area that came to light during meetings and surveys was washrooms.
“One of the significant design decisions we’ve made based on this input is that the new central library will have gender-neutral washrooms,” stated the design check-in report.
“The universal washrooms will be available for anyone to use who may not feel comfortable with the gender-neutral design.”
Public washrooms will be available on all levels of the library.
Accessibility was another issue raised by stakeholders.
Changes to the design ensure accessible shelving throughout the library and widening aisles between shelves.
“This will ensure the aisles are comfortable and that navigating the collection is accessible for everyone,” stated the report.
Shelves will have minimum and maximum heights, with the adult collection on four-tier shelving and the children’s collection on a mix of two- and three-tier shelving.
Accessibility services were moved closer to the elevator to provide a more direct path from the front entrance to the third level.
The next step in the design process is in September when there will be a check-in to confirm the “design achieves the project vision.”
Reports on the design with all changes are available online at Saskatoon Public Library.
Construction is expected to start in 2022 after the final design is approved.
The new central library is scheduled to open in 2026 at 321 2nd Ave. N.
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