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Oakville Public Library(OPL) is set to welcome the residents with a new outdoor patio at its Glen Abbey Community Centre branch this spring. The patio of about 1,900 sq. ft. will be ready for planned events and leisurely use in the summer. The pandemic caused libraries users to seek outdoor spaces, and that is expected to continue even as the threat of COVID-19 subsides.
"The outdoor expansion project at Glen Abbey branch of Oakville Public Library was originally planned as part of the interior renovation completed in January 2020. However, later we decided to do it as a separate project," Simona Dinu, Director-Customer Experience, OPL shared. If it had not been for the pandemic, she added that this project would have likely started in mid-2020.
OPL hopes that families can use this space for individual or group seating or even studying. The Glen Abbey branch will run storytimes, book clubs and even art events on the patio.
A canopy will provide shade and built-in seating. The additional seating arrangements like tables, chairs and benches will be movable and stored in a side unit to reconfigure the space if required, Dinu added.
OPL collaborated with Red Studio Architects to design the project in February 2021.
A few mature trees are strategically placed to provide shade in the scorching summer and privacy from the parking lot. In addition, planters will be grown on the edge of the patio to add to the area's aesthetics. The outdoor space will be accessible via a door leading from the library.
The icing on the cake is that as opportunities arise, the OPL will also consider converting outdoor spaces into outdoor patios if available in other branches. A plan for such an amenity will also need to fit into the larger scheme of the facility, Dinu observed.