Photography by Tom Arban Photography Inc.
The revitalization of Mississauga’s Central Library approaches renovation as an architectural dialogue between postmodern legacy and contemporary civic life. Rather than erasing the building’s original identity, the project studies and reinterprets it through a newly introduced geometric language that brings greater clarity and openness to the five-level interior. Existing atrium spaces, once fragmented and visually disconnected, are perceptually unified through light-filled interventions that improve legibility and establish stronger relationships between floors. Materially, the project shifts away from the weight and opacity of the original architecture toward a more restrained contemporary palette defined by glazing, luminous surfaces, and minimal detailing. This lighter vocabulary extends outward through a series of glowing orb-like additions that recalibrate the building’s civic presence from the exterior. Throughout, geometry and material operate together as tools of renewal, transforming an aging institutional landmark into a more transparent, connected, and publicly engaging environment.
As appeared in the July/August 2026 Best of Canada Awards issue of Canadian Interiors magazine.
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