Sajecki Planning Inc. leads the municipal approvals process for the Dawes Public Library with Perkins & Will, strives to re-imagine the role of a library as a community and technology hub.

Sajecki Planning Inc. is leading the municipal approvals process for the Dawes Public Library on behalf of Toronto Public Library, as part of a broader consortium led by Perkins&Will. The project strives to re-imagine the role of a library as a community and technology hub. The hub will serve as a destination for learning, collaboration and support. It features spaces designed for digital content creation, indoor and outdoor gathering for Indigenous-led activities, artisanal production, craft production, and food preparation.

Smoke Architecture, Inc. is the Indigenous Architect on the project, which has been designed with input from 12 distinct Indigenous stakeholder groups. The building design resembles a Star Blanket: a gift that is given to those who have worked to benefit their community.

The building has also been designed to achieve net-zero operational carbon, and to serve as a demonstration of how Toronto Public Library is helping to achieve the City of Toronto's ambitious climate change mitigation goals. See last week's NRU Publishing Inc. periodical for more information.

Images courtesy of Perkins&Will, Smoke Architecture, Inc. and Toronto Public Library.