On Tuesday (Feb 22), Airdrie City Council was presented with three different scenarios as to what can be done with the part of the future Multi-Use Facility that won’t be occupied by the library. 

David Wittman, a Partner of Gibbs Gage Architects, alongside his team, presented City Council with three possible scenarios. 

  1. ARTS & SOCIAL AGENCY FOCUS 

  • The design of the spaces will support the creative and performance arts as a primary driver and be largely managed by the City of Airdrie.  
  • Facilities will be available in a shared configuration to support social agencies. Some dedicated space to support clubs will also be available at below-market rates.
  • Emphasis will be placed on creating flexible teaching spaces that support creative cultural pursuits. 

  1. ENTREPRENEURIAL & CREATIVE INDUSTRY FOCUS 

  • The emphasis on this option is to support business opportunities in the facility through Airdrie Economic Development and spaces that support entrepreneurs to create, showcase and support their business efforts.  
  • This may involve support for creative arts instructors, cottage industries and other burgeoning craft and tech industries. 

  1. LEARNING CONTINUUM FOCUS 

  • The types of spaces created would focus on the continuum of learning that begins with the library and early literacy, and supplement the services offered in the library with tenant spaces dedicated to lifelong learning.  
  • The tenants would provide spaces that support Airdronians in increasing their employment potential, advancing their personal business opportunities or their overall education.  
  • The places will be more multi-purpose learning spaces with supports for small businesses. This scenario would see an increase in the size of the atrium to accommodate community events rather than creating a dedicated event space. 

To see a more complex description of what each scenario means, see the presentation Wittman and his team provided.  

After much deliberation about which scenario would be the best, Airdrie counsellors felt like there wasn’t a perfect scenario and decided they would like to see some hybrids of the scenarios.  

They are excited to see what Wittman and his team can come up with by the next City Council meeting.