Kitchener Public Library’s Southwest Community Branch, Kitchener, ON

This proposed $10.1 M net-zero community library, thought to be the first of its kind in Canada, will become a vibrant community hub for the adjacent growing and diverse neighbourhood. The design features geothermal energy, solar panels, Indigenous medicine gardens, community gardens, green roofs, bioswales / rain gardens, and a bioretention entry plaza area with soil cells for tree plantings. SpruceLab Inc. led Indigenous, community, and stakeholder engagement, as well as the landscape design. Outreach included information sent to Six Nations of the Grand River (SNGR) as well as Mississauagas of the Credit First Nation (MCFN), which was followed by design workshops with SNGR and correspondence with MCFN. Information shared with the design team was incoporated into the project design prior to installation. The resulting ‘learning landscape’ accommodates reading, gatherings, Indigenous ceremony, and classroom activities. The inclusion of food forest species and raised wooden community gardens will offer educational opportunities for programs tied to the indoor kitchen. Community spaces will allow for gathering and learning to occur, and support outdoor educational programs. The design encourages people to connect to nature, and creates spaces for Indigenous Peoples, while helping to help improve Indigenous awareness. A hope is that the project will demonstrate aspects of regenerative design that will inspire replication across private lands. The project is currently under construction, on time and within budget, with an opening event planned for 2025.

See Kitchener Public Library’s website about this project here.