Aurora Library Square design highlights multi-purpose spaces, performance hall

Performance hall, water feature, skating rink, ample theatre all part of proposed Library Square design

YorkRegion.com
Feb. 19, 2019
Teresa Latchford

Creating a facility to accommodate as many uses as possible is the aim of Library Square’s latest design proposal.

Renderings and details included in the design of the addition to the existing Aurora Cultural Centre, community hub to be located between the Aurora public library and square located just of the town’s main drag was presented to council as the first update since June 2018.

“This result is an artful building that respects the existing heritage building through distinct and complimentary design that will serve the town and Greater Toronto Area well into the future,” RAW Design architect Thomas Nemskeri said. “We worked hard to develop a vibrant cultural centre with the goal of encouraging people to learn about and engage in the arts.”

The new building will be connected via a glass atrium so residents can navigate between the old and the new, being the Church Street School and new three-storey facility, he explained.

On the ground level, there is a plaza, which includes dedicated space for the Aurora Museum and Archives, a program room that can be split into two with a retractable wall, a proposed café and a retractable glass wall to be opened in summer months to let users spill out into the outdoor square. There will also be a separate entrance to make the washroom facilities accessible during off hours when the square is in use but the buildings surrounding it are closed.

From the Victoria Street entrance, there will be an open design created with windows and stairs, plus design features created with repurposed materials like timber from the former buildings that once stood on the site.

The next floor features a 246-seat performance hall, performing arts dance studio, program room, multi-purpose studio and visual arts room.

“Maple wood flooring, the same that is in the school house, is carried on throughout this floor,” Nemskeri added.

The stage area in the performance hall has been enlarged since the original design and, when the seating is reconfigured, it can accommodate 192 banquet guests or 92 for a conference. Nemskeri highlighted that this doesn’t restrict the space to one use.

The final floor accommodates a green room, change rooms and an audiovisual booth that can be used for storage for equipment.

“We are currently exploring the addition of 28 balcony seats,” he said.

The new building is equal to the height of the Aurora Cultural Centre.

Partner of the Planning Partnership David Leinster spoke to the design of the outdoor square including an ample theatre, terrace space to the north and a reading room for the library to the west.

The theatre will accommodate 290 people seated, 1,400 standing, 30 market tents and there will be 79 parking spaces on site.

“We are also looking at a new public gathering place, the Victoria entry plaza, which wasn’t in the original design,” he said.

Suspended lighting will keep the space open without poles, plantings will offer shade and there will be a 400-square-foot water feature that doubles as a skating rink.

Council received the report and will discuss any changes or approval at a special meeting to be held in March.