2023 Best of Year Winner for Library

This is the first phase in the transformation of the five-story D.B. Weldon Library, a brutalist icon in London, Canada by John Andrew that opened in 1972. Five decades later, the facility, located on the Western University campus, reflected an outdated approach to library programming, further compromised by piecemeal interventions over the years. In partnership with Cornerstone Architecture, Perkins&Will focused on 80,000 square feet of interior spaces: reimagining the great hall, which was dominated by a service desk and single-use computer stations; consolidating staff areas, which were inefficiently distributed; upgrading building systems; and right-sizing the collections footprint to maximize study space. Now, a dynamic, daylit learning commons reconnects the great hall to the previously enclosed mezzanine, while new study and socializing spaces, enriched by exhibition and display elements, support 21st-century learning. New flooring, sculptural lighting, textured millwork, and fresh furnishings enhance the building’s 20th-century character while making the interior lighter, brighter, and more inviting.

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PROJECT TEAM

jon loewen; martha del junco; alan mortsch; carey smith; kimberly loi.