The project also includes a new civic plaza that extends from Lonsdale street to
the city hall, connecting the library to the busy shopping district. A café has been
incorporated into the south facade of the building to provide an opportunity for
plaza users and library users to interact.

The Library has won an EARTH Award from teh Building Owners and Managers Association of B.C., was a Merit Award recipient of the 2009 B.C. Lieutenant-Governor Award in Architecture from the AIBC in May 2009, and was honoured with a 2009 B.C. Library Association Merit Award in April for outstanding achievement in a building project.

Image courtesy of: Diamond and Schmitt Architects / CEI Architecture

The new City of North Vancouver Public Library is a state-of-the-art building with more than double the capacity of the existing library. With 3 Levels of collections and admin space at 3395 square meters and 2 levels of underground parking at 3370 square meters, for a total of 6765 square meters; this library is a landmark building for its vibrant community of 46,000 citizens.

Image courtesy of: Diamond and Schmitt Architects / CEI Architecture

As part of its ongoing sustainability program The City of North Vancouver has adopted the LEED Green Building Rating System. They have made a commitment to reduce environmental impact, save energy and reduce operational costs as well as provide long term benefits for the community. The minimum acceptable building standard for new civic buildings is LEED silver certification. The preferred standard is LEED Gold and the City of North Vancouver Public Library is attempting to achieve LEED Gold certification. 

To prevent excess solar heat gain, sunshades span the south facade of the building at each level. A prominent feature of the south elevation is the 3 sets of solar hot water panels installed on the roof of the monitor and on two wings beside it. The combination, geo-exchange heating and cooling as well as solar energy, will meet the energy needs of the new library and service the Central Lonsdale Power Plant.