The architects who designed the addition to Winnipeg's Millennium Library were awarded a Governor General's Medal in Architecture last week, one of the most prestigious honours available to those who help shape urban environments. The award was duly noted, but largely ignored, apparently unimportant news in a society that values hockey and road repairs over skills that make cities livable and healthy.
John Patkau, a Winnipeg-educated architect who now works in Vancouver, designed the $18 million addition in co-operation with David Kressock of LM Architectural Group of Winnipeg. They will receive their awards from Gov.-Gen. Micha ´lle Jean at a ceremony in Rideau Hall this fall.
The library expansion presented the designers with a difficult challenge: How to increase the size of the building without intruding into a park on the south side of the library? With concern for both function and design, the architects blew out the south wall, added a fourth floor and then covered the entire facade with a veil of glass, creating more room for books, more light, more beauty and more space for human interaction in the process. What was once a brutalist (raw concrete) style of architecture was transformed immediately into a unique urban space that automatically attracts every visitor to the library.
Good architecture is hard to define -- try asking an architect -- but it is believed to relate to a community's long-term stability and livability. It is not just about magnificent buildings and cool indoor spaces, important though they are. Individual, isolated masterpieces must be connected with parks and trails, rapid transit systems, and active streetscapes under a broad umbrella known as urban planning and design.
Winnipeg has the building blocks for a great urban environment. Three rivers and two creeks, many fine parks, world-class cultural institutions, and a large collection of heritage buildings -- these are great assets that most cities do not possess.
For some reason, however, the city has not been able to connect the dots and chart a recognizable path toward a sustainable, livable metropolis with a rich urban experience.
Good architects, like the ones who won a Governor General's award, understand these concepts. It's their business and they should be consulted more often. Architecture is arguably the highest profession because it combines art with science to achieve something usable and beautiful. Let's honour them more often.
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