All libraries are open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. today.
All libraries are open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. today.
All libraries are open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. today.
All libraries are open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. today.
All libraries are open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. today.
All libraries are open from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. today.
All libraries are open from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. today.
All libraries are closed today.
Southwest Library will be a 14,000 square foot building in the community of Rosenberg, to the southwest of the intersection of Bleams Road and Fischer-Hallman Road.
In 2021, mcCallumSather Architects in partnership with 4 Directions of Conservation Consulting, SpruceLab and Trophic Design began designing the new Southwest Library.
Construction is expected to begin in 2023, with an anticipated opening in 2024.
This project is funded in part by the Government of Canada.
Working with mcCallumSather the goal is to design a NetZero energy efficient building. This will be one of the first public libraries with this designation in Canada.
To the west of the library is parkland, a hydro corridor, and a planned future elementary school and community centre. Nearby trails will pass through and connect in the immediate area. Creating connections to the adjacent park, school and community centre will be an important feature of this library location. This library will also feature a demonstration kitchen, recording studio, after-hour rental space, learning gardens, and outdoor programming space.
The library site is located on the Haldimand Tract. The discovery of Indigenous artifacts and a First Nation Village near the site informs the responsibility to work with Indigenous partners to ensure that land, building and programming reflect the shared relationships and responsibility to this land.
We continue working with architect mcCallumSather to finalize detailed design of the library.
Community engagement begins
Design work begins
Community engagement project with SpruceLab, 4 Direction Consulting and Trophic Design begins
Design approval
Detailed design approval and construction tender
Library construction
Southwest Library opens
Canada invests in new public library in Kitchener
The Government of Canada announced a federal investment of more than $5.9 million to build a new public library in Kitchener as part of the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program.
Now accepting Public Art Expressions of Interest
We are looking for Expressions of Interest (EOIs) to create a public art commission for the Southwest Library.
We invite artists or artist teams to submit a proposal to be considered by a jury in Kitchener Public Library's Southwest Library Public Art Competition. This is the first stage in a two-stage competition.
This call for Expressions of Interest (EOI) is open to established artists or artist teams with experience creating public art projects. The selection team will give preference to submissions from artists or teams with Indigenous, immigrant or other equity-deserving backgrounds.
Learn more about the EOI process.
Community engagement about Southwest Library began in 2019 with a Kitchener-wide community engagement strategy that saw more than 7000 participants.
In 2020, strong support for the project was confirmed through an online survey specifically aimed at individuals living in the surrounding neighborhoods, which saw more than 1200 responses.
In 2021, working in partnership with 4 Directions of Conservation Consulting, SpruceLab and Trophic Design. KPL held public focus groups, community partner engagement sessions, and Indigenous engagement with Land Rights Holders.
Throughout we received feedback about design considerations and service priorities.
Questions asked included:
We heard from the community that priorities include:
Through Indigenous Engagement with Mississauga of the Credit First Nation and Six Nations of the Grand River we heard:
We want to foster meaningful ongoing engagement with Indigenous Right Holders to ensure that the land, building, and programming reflect the shared relationships and responsibilities to the land.
Engagement about landscape features highlighted:
The vision for the new Southwest Library is to create a space that inspires the community and offers unique opportunities to explore traditional, digital, and emerging library services.
We want this to be a true community destination with space for gathering and connecting. We understand that this will be a long term community resource and we want to ensure the space is flexible to accommodate future needs.
Our goal is for the space to be:
With a demonstration kitchen, multi-use program room and access to surrounding outdoor space, the library is positioned to build on its nutritional literacy and gardening programs that honour the land and encourage sustainability.
A creation centre provides the community a space where they can learn skills such as coding, create audio and film recordings, and access specialized technologies.
The modular nature of the library design presents opportunities for community groups and individuals to gather, create, learn, and celebrate together.
As heard through community engagement, establishing a relationship with nature is an important part of this build. Landscape architects SpruceLab and Trophic Design have created an outdoor space that includes:
Kitchener Public Library is committed to the sustainability of our services, spaces and resources. Libraries, by their nature, are a publicly-funded version of a sharing economy.
Keeping in mind responsible stewardship, and ensuring an environmentally conscious build, the Southwest Library will be a NetZero building. This means that it will be a high energy-efficient building that produces 100% carbon-free renewable energy to offset the annual carbon emissions from the building materials and operations. This will be one of the first public libraries with this designation in Canada.
NetZero features will include:
We are committed to creating an accessible library space that is open and inclusive for everyone in our community. Accessibility features of the Southwest Library include:
Do you have question about the project, or want to join the email list for news and updates about the Southwest Library? Email us at swlibrary@kpl.org.