Of
the
thesis
entitled:ÌýLibrary:
A
Social
Infrastructure
Abstract:
For
many
centuries,Ìýthe
mission
of
the
library
as
a
civic
institution
has
been
seen
as
theÌýcollection
and
dissemination
of
information.
Likewise,
the
library
typologyÌýcontinuously
responds
to
the
dominant
paradigm
of
information
andÌýcommunications
technologies.ÌýFollowing
the
digital
revolution
of
the
lateÌýtwentieth
century,
information
has
been
transcoded
into
electronic
signals,Ìýthus
allowing
its
storage
and
distribution
to
take
place
independent
of
timeÌýand
space.
Today,
with
access
to
information
so
ubiquitous,
is
the
library
aÌýredundant
place?
Ìý
In
thisÌýthesis,
I
argue
that
by
democratizing
information,
the
library’s
fundamentalÌýmission
has
been
overcoming
physical,
social,
and
economic
disconnectedness.ÌýThe
library,
therefore
remains
to
be
an
essential
civic
institution.
However,Ìýdespite
making
informationÌýmore
accessible,
the
digital
revolution
has
producedÌýnew
types
of
disconnectedness.
Telecommunication
and
transportationÌýinfrastructures
have
accelerated
suburbanization
and
decentralization
of
urbanÌýcenters.
In
the
current
digital
age,
spaces
of
flow
are
valued
moreÌýthan
spacesÌýof
place,
resulting
in
a
loss
of
civic
space
and
suppression
of
diversity.ÌýMoreover,
the
infinite
and
simultaneous
nature
of
digital
information
hasÌýincited
feelings
of
inundation
and
disorientation.ÌýÌýTo
address
these
new
types
of
disconnectedness,Ìýthe
libraryÌýtypology
is
compelled
to
recombine
and
calibrate
its
historicalÌýtraditions
with
a
new
set
of
expectations
in
the
digital
age.
Ìý
ThisÌýthesis
is
sited
in
the
suburban
campus
of
Conestoga
College,
which
is
locatedÌýon
the
border
of
Kitchener
and
Cambridge,
adjacent
to
Highway
401.
The
specificÌýand
universal
disconnectedness
affecting
this
institution
is
investigated
onÌýthree
scales:
suburban
cityÌýplanning,
Conestoga's
campus
master
plan
and
theÌýlibrary's
design.
Informed
by
these
investigations,
I
have
proposed
anÌýalternate
design
for
the
campus
master
plan
and
the
library.
The
library
itselfÌýis
a
manifesto
for
embodying
the
static
character
of
containment
and
theÌýdynamic
character
of
flow.
On
a
grander
scale,
by
integrating
the
architectureÌýof
the
library
with
a
bridge
infrastructure,
we
can
expose
the
friction
betweenÌýthe
two
spatial
logics
of
flow
and
place,
and
provoke
a
multitude
of
movementsÌýand
exchanges
between
theÌýexisting
and
new
programmatic
elements.Ìý
ÌýÌýThis
speculative
intervention
aims
toÌýreinforce
the
agency
of
architecture
to
counterbalance
the
consternations
thatÌýare
prevalent
in
the
technocratic
paradigm
of
today.Ìý
The examining committee is as follows:
Supervisor:
Anne Bordeleau,ÌýUniversity of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ
CommitteeÌýMembers:
Rick Haldenby, University of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ
Lola Sheppard, University of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵÌý Ìý ÌýÌý
External Reader:
LianaÌýBresler, SvN Architects + Planners
The
committee
has
been
approved
as
authorized
by
the
Graduate
Studies
Committee.
The
Defence
Examination
will
take
place:
Ìý
Monday
May
15,
2017Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
ÌýÌý
6:30
PMÌýÌýÌý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
ARC
2026
A
copy
of
the
thesis
is
available
for
perusal
in
ARC
2106A.