W hen Ottawa unveiled the design of its new central library in 2020, the mayor promised it would be “more than just a building with books.” The d

Why Is Canadian Architecture So Bad?

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2022-01-20 15:00:03

W hen Ottawa unveiled the design of its new central library in 2020, the mayor promised it would be “more than just a building with books.” The design of the $192 million edifice, to be split between the city’s main library and Library and Archives Canada, “connects the facility to Ottawa’s rich history and natural beauty,” the city elucidated. “Its shape is reminiscent of the Ottawa River; its stone and wood exterior reflects the adjacent escarpment and surrounding greenspace.”

Not everyone was so generous with their praise. “It looks like any recent university campus build. I was hoping for better,” one commenter on the CBC’s Facebook poll wrote. “I’m indifferent. It’s pretty beautiful, but it’s a colossal expense that could be put in a much more cost-effective building,” another noted. Others saw the price tag and wondered why the city was bothering at all: “Giant waste of tax dollars to pacify a very small number of people and mostly just the employees. Times have freakin’ changed people!!!”

Since then, the Ottawa central library’s price tag has ballooned by nearly 75 percent, for a new total of $334 million—including $28 million for a parking garage.