The Story Pod by AKB: a public library in the park

Once upon time, there was a library in a park... Literature and architecture is a very successful combination, if we think of the gorgeous libraries and bookshops constructed through the centuries. The Story Pod by Canadian firm AKB is a small example but has huge social value.



Canadian architecture firm Atelier Kastelic Buffey AKB, known mainly for their top quality residential projects, have designed The Story Pod, a small but very important building in the heart of Newmarket, a suburb of Toronto, Canada, invigorating a square in a Victorian-era neighbourhood surrounded by ever-growing modern housing.

The Story Pod - as the name suggests - is a box of stories, or rather of books. An abstract, compact black volume, 2.4 m wide and 3 m high, marked by the rhythm of the vertical facade. A small treasure chest lit up at night by energy efficient LED lights powered by solar panels, with a cosy timber latticed interior; it is open during the day and anyone can leave or borrow books, or simply sit down and read them on the spot. 

Aaron Finbow and Kelly Buffey from AKB say their project acts as an “urban marker”, drawing curious residents from the nearby street and an adjacent riverside walking trail. The Story Pod is rooted in the community: were funds donated for the building materials - standard dimension lumbar and plywood; AKB took on the project pro bono and city of Newmarket employees were responsible for the self-building process.

This makes The Story Pod an example of all-round sustainability, and a consummately social cohesive force, in a period of time when it no longer seems to be the thing to read a real book made of paper. Still, we know that no e-book will ever be able to replace the charm of books, brand new or well-thumbed, which you can borrow, where you might discover some handwritten notes or an old bus ticket, or receipt used as a bookmark - but that's another story... 

Christiane Bürklein

Architecture Atelier Kastelic Buffey  (AKB)
Location Newmarket, Ontario 
Size 64 sq ft (ca. 6 sq m)
Architectural Team Aaron Finbow, Kelly Buffey 
Sponsor HollisWealth 
Construction Town of Newmarket, Operations Services Staff
Photography Credits Bob Gundu (Images 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11) Shai Gil (Images 5, 6, 7, 8)