The new Komoka Library is located inside the Middlesex Centre Wellness and Recreation Complex. It has significantly more space than the former 1,100 square foot location. In the first year, circulation increased 309% and over 1,000 new library cards were issued. The library hosts many programs for the community in its comfortable, technologically equipped space. The library was designed to encourage community gathering and features seating areas near outlets for using devices. The complex partnership allows for shared costs and cross-promotion of services between the library, YMCA, and municipality.

1. KOMOKA LIBRARY
a branch of the Middlesex County Library system
submission for the OLA Library Building Award, 2013

2. TABLE OF CONTENTS
i. Library Statement xiii. Library Floor Plan
ii. Library Statement, cont’d (furniture and technology)
iii. Former Facility xiv. Major Public Services Position
iv. New Location xv. Typical User Area
v. Site Plan xvi. Interior View
vi. Exterior (long shot) xvii. Interview View at Night
vii. Exterior Entrance xviii.Staff Area
viii.Exterior: Library & xix. Architectural Features
Entrance Canopy xx. Architectural Features
ix. Facility Ground Floor xxi. Design Statement
x. Facility Second Floor xxii. Environmental Advancements
xi. Interior view from entrance xxiii.Cost Data
xii. Library Floor Plan (areas) xxiv.Partnership Impact
Komoka Library
located inside the Middlesex Centre Wellness and Recreation Complex

3. i. LIBRARY STATEMENT
The new Komoka Library facility embodies the mission statement of Middlesex
County Library: Informing, Enriching and Connecting Middlesex County.
The new facility provides ample space for resources, technology and learning
opportunities, as well as room for people to interact, share ideas and connect
with their community.
Planning this facility involved envisioning the library of the future, a process that
transformed the Komoka Library from a space that housed text and information
to a destination that supports ideas, creativity, and community-building. The tag
line, “Komoka has a new living room,” was used in marketing materials
promoting the launch of the new facility. With space to move and grow, the
Komoka Library is a comfortable and welcoming space for Komoka and area
residents.
Komoka Library
located inside the Middlesex Centre Wellness and Recreation Complex

4. ii. LIBRARY STATEMENT, continued
The new Komoka Library features seating and furniture elements that encourage
the use of technology. Laptop stations flank two walls, and seating areas are
located in proximity to electrical outlets for ease of use. The feature wall in the
“Kids’ Zone” is the perfect backdrop for literacy stations for young children –
pre-loaded with literacy-based games and activities, these computers are
customized for our youngest patrons and their unique technology needs.
In the first year of operation, the Komoka Library experienced a 309% increase in
circulation over the former location, and 1046 new library cards were
issued. The library hosted 189 programs, which were attended by 4456 people.
The community has embraced the new facility and all of the programs made
possible by this project. With a reinvigorated design that combines functionality
and comfort, the Komoka Library is uniquely positioned to welcome people
through its doors into a true community gathering space.
Komoka Library
located inside the Middlesex Centre Wellness and Recreation Complex

5. iii. FORMER FACILITY
The former 1,100 sq. ft. location
operated out of the Komoka & District
Community Centre for 30 years.
Komoka Library
located inside the Middlesex Centre Wellness and Recreation Complex

6. iv. NEW LOCATION
Komoka Library
located inside the Middlesex Centre Wellness and Recreation Complex

7. v. SITE PLAN
1. Wellness and Recreation Complex
2. Splash Pad
3. Play Structures
4. Entry Forecourt
5. Parking Lot
6. Shipping and Receiving
Komoka Library
located inside the Middlesex Centre Wellness and Recreation Complex

8. vi. EXTERIOR (LONG SHOT)
Komoka Library
located inside the Middlesex Centre Wellness and Recreation Complex

9. vii. EXTERIOR ENTRANCE
Komoka Library
located inside the Middlesex Centre Wellness and Recreation Complex

10. viii. EXTERIOR: LIBRARY & CANOPY
Komoka Library
located inside the Middlesex Centre Wellness and Recreation Complex

11. ix. FACILITY GROUND FLOOR
1. Atrium
2. Reception Area
3. Gymnasium
4. Gym Storage
5. Family Change Room
6. Male Change Room
7. Female Change Room
8. Public Washrooms
9. Municipal Offices
10. LIBRARY
11. Reading Garden (future)
12. Arena Viewing Area
13. Ice Pad
14. Concession
15. Change Room
16. First Aid Room
17. Sound Room
18. Referee Room
19. Facility Office
20. Zamboni Room
21. Mechanical Room
22. Refrigeration Room
Komoka Library
located inside the Middlesex Centre Wellness and Recreation Complex

12. x. FACILITY SECOND FLOOR
1. Atrium (open to below)
2. Gymnasium (open to below)
3. Viewing Area (open to below)
4. YMCA Fitness Centre
5. YMCA Office
6. Storage Room
7. Walking Track
8. Ice Pad
9. Viewing Area
10. Activity Room
11. Multi-Purpose Room
12. Servery
13. Public Washrooms
14. Offices
15. Storage
Komoka Library
located inside the Middlesex Centre Wellness and Recreation Complex

13. xi. INTERIOR VIEW FROM ENTRANCE
Komoka Library
located inside the Middlesex Centre Wellness and Recreation Complex

14. xii. LIBRARY FLOOR PLAN: areas
22
1. Portico 17. Book Drop
18. Hub Room
19. Electrical
6. Circulation Room
Desk 20. Internet
7. Adult Section Stations (9)
20
8. Teen Zone 21. Laptop Counter
9. Program Room 22. Early Literacy
10. Kids’ Zone Computers (2)
11. Fireplace
12. Librarian’s 21
Office
13. Work Room
14. Staff Room
15. Washroom
16. Storage Room
Komoka Library
located inside the Middlesex Centre Wellness and Recreation Complex

15. xiii. LIBRARY FLOOR PLAN / furniture
Komoka Library
located inside the Middlesex Centre Wellness and Recreation Complex

16. xiv. MAJOR PUBLIC SERVICES POSITION
Komoka Library
located inside the Middlesex Centre Wellness and Recreation Complex

17. xv. A TYPICAL USER AREA
Komoka Library
located inside the Middlesex Centre Wellness and Recreation Complex

18. xvi. INTERIOR VIEW
Komoka Library
located inside the Middlesex Centre Wellness and Recreation Complex

19. xvii. INTERIOR VIEW AT NIGHT
Komoka Library
located inside the Middlesex Centre Wellness and Recreation Complex

20. xviii. STAFF AREA
Komoka Library
located inside the Middlesex Centre Wellness and Recreation Complex

21. xix. ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES
The Plunket
Foundation
Program Room
allows for use
outside the
operating hours
of the library,
with entrances
inside the
library and also
into the facility’s
main hallway.
Komoka Library
located inside the Middlesex Centre Wellness and Recreation Complex

22. xx. ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES
The southern
facing entrance
is flooded with
natural light and
the floor-to-
ceiling windows
mirror those in
the library space
Komoka Library
located inside the Middlesex Centre Wellness and Recreation Complex

23. xxi. DESIGN STATEMENT
The core ambition of the Middlesex Centre Community Wellness and Recreation Complex was to create
a new civic heart for the community and set a standard for sustainable development in the area.
The main program elements of the building include a twin pad arena, fitness centre and gymnasium, and
the Komoka Public Library. The program elements are expressed individually on the exterior, giving each
element their own identity, while breaking down the scale of the building as one approaches the main
entrance.
An extended canopy, with a cedar soffit, extends over the glazed and stone clad library volume, providing
material warmth and access to the main entrance while shading the Library from the high sun angle in the
warmer months. Internally, the overall floor plan is organized around a simple circulation ‘T’ which unites
all of the program elements.
The Komoka Library is accessible from the main atrium, identified by a pair of large wood doors which
remain open during operating hours. Upon entry into the library, patrons are welcomed by the circulation
desk, highlighted by a warm wood ceiling, and a clear circulation path with the book stacks, Teen Zone,
and Programming Room on their left and a high sloped ceiling volume with computers, soft seating and
the Kids Zone arranged around a fireplace on their right.
Alison Hannay, Principal Architect
Komoka Library
located inside the Middlesex Centre Wellness and Recreation Complex

24. xxii. ENVIRONMENTAL ADVANCEMENTS
 Certified Four Green Globes under the Green Globes™ building assessment
and rating system.
300 KW rooftop solar array, consisting of 1,078 Suntech solar modules.
The electricity produced is sent into the power grid (not back into the
building). The program provides revenue for the Municipality, via the
Ontario Feed-in-Tarrif.
 Refrigeration system designed to recycle 100% of the energy used to
maintain the ice surface back into the building heating systems
 Radiant floor heating throughout the main lobby, library and change rooms
 Specialized glazing to control glare and heat gain
Komoka Library
located inside the Middlesex Centre Wellness and Recreation Complex

25. xxiii. COST DATA
In 2011, the annual operating budget was $2,476,469. The Komoka Library project
represented 7% of this budget, with $165,000 spent on increasing collection size,
equipment purchases and furnishings.
The library did not contribute to construction costs of the building, as Middlesex
County Library leases facilities from the Lower Tier Municipality (Middlesex
Centre).
Key areas of spending associated with this project in 2011:
• The collection size increased by 40% from the former location
• Open hours increased from twenty-six to forty hours per week
• The Komoka Library is now supervised by a full-time Professional Librarian
Komoka Library
located inside the Middlesex Centre Wellness and Recreation Complex

26. xxiv. PARTNERSHIP IMPACT
“The project has allowed the YMCA to become involved in a
community that we had previously not served. The
partnership has allowed for extensive cross-promotion of
each other’s services and has also allowed the YMCA to
deliver significantly enhanced programs. The ice pads and
library allow us to provide unique and varied program
offerings to our members.”
-Michael Lampman
General Manager, Middlesex Centre YMCA
“The facility is a one-stop destination for community
members. Sharing the facility allows for cross-programming
opportunities, and we organize ongoing community events
together. From a cost perspective, the facility has improved
efficiencies with shared maintenance and operations staff.”
- Scott Mairs
Director of Community Services, Middlesex Centre
Komoka Library
located inside the Middlesex Centre Wellness and Recreation Complex

27. THANK YOU
Thank you for considering our application
for the OLA Library Building Award.
submitted in partnership with:
Komoka Library
located inside the Middlesex Centre Wellness and Recreation Complex