The Irving K. Barber Library and Learning Centre project included 24,000 m² (258,000 ft²) of new building construction around an existing heritage core, built in 1925. The heritage core underwent seismic, mechanical, and electrical upgrades over the course of the project, which mandated that the library remain operational during construction. To accommodate, Ledcor conducted work in separate phases, building in one area at a time while leaving other areas open to the public.    

The new center features the first automatic storage and retrieval system in Canada– a system that automatically retrieves and replaces books in collapsible storage units. This-state-of-the-art system drastically reduced space, which allowed for the integration of classrooms, offices, informal learning environments, group rooms, reading rooms, and even a climate-controlled vault for rare books.

Project Highlights

• First automatic storage and retrieval system in Canada
• Project built in stages to maintain normal library operations