Project Description

The design of the City of Winnipeg, Bill and Helen Norrie Library was inspired by local Rooster Town History. Rooster Town was an established, vibrant Metis community that was displaced due to urban sprawl development in the early 1960s. The story of Rooster Town and its residents is not well known and significant effort has been made in recent years to bring the story of these residents and their families to light. The history of Rooster Town is acknowledged and highlighted throughout the library building with various interpretative pieces and with other non-literal design elements. The building is perceived as a ‘big house’ with gable roof to respect its dense residential community setting. Areas within the building reflect experiences of a home, sitting on the front porch, working and reading at a dining table, sitting and talking in the living room or celebrating and playing in the back patio. The library is a place to gather, reflect, interact and grow community. The interior finishes and furnishings used within the interior and exterior are nature based, reflective of wood, stone, metal and foliage. The living room features an interior/exterior fireplace surrounded by seating on the inside and outside to extend seasonal use for the exterior porch and reading garden. Large scale moss art walls, reflective of the Pembina Valley landscape, serve as a meditative backdrop for both the living room and the service desk. Wood patterns on the front porch, recessed soffits and throughout the interior of the library are random board widths to reflect the reuse of found or salvaged wood in Rooster Town home building. The use of weathered steel on the building is inspired by the salvaging of steel from Rooster town residents working at the Rail Company. The library building is a thoughtful acknowledgment of past and future, intended to serve the community as a vibrant hub for young and old for years to come.