Erik Backstrom Profile picture
Urban planner, planning historian, family man and faithful Edmontonian

Apr 5, 2022, 6 tweets

How the @UAlberta's Cameron Library became a two-skinned building.

Cameron Library, opened in 1964 and named after former University Librarian Donald Cameron, was designed to be expanded after its bracketing North and South Labs, shown in this 1965 air photo, were demolished.

The North Lab was taken down in 1968 to accommodate Cameron's north expansion.

But the South Lab, shown here in a 1978 air photo, survived. About 15 years ago it was renovated to become Triffo Hall, the first LEED Gold building at the university and in my opinion a campus treasure. archdaily.com/111083/univers…

The integrity of Cameron's original curtain wall system must have been compromised because in the 1990s or '00s the U of A replaced the east & west facades. The north facade was newer because of the expansion & the south facade presumably had less weather exposure.

The yellow metallic mullions were replaced by brick columns that give a nod to the Arts Building & Triffo Hall but lack the glitter of the original design. In this case old fashioned conservatism -- fix what you must, keep what you can -- took priority over aesthetics.

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