A truly avant-garde design, the building looks as though the blueprints for the upper floor were rotated about 43° with no one noticing until construction was well underway, at which time the prevailing sympathy became, "Well, we can't afford to start over, so let's just go with what we've got." While admittedly odd in shape, the concept for the building is a sound one - integrate Visitor Centre, Museum, Library and Gift Shop, thereby reducing staff and required infrastructure. Meanwhile, the visitor centre is open year round, staffed by the library staff and sharing a small amount of its space. Another advantage for visitors - stop at the Visitor Centre and take a free tour of the museum, in the selfsame building.
The move to Riverfront Centre has provided the library with more floor space but forced patrons to walk (or ride) up a floor to access half of the library's offerings. The library and museum share both of the building's two storeys, with the visitor centre and the gift shop on the ground floor. A definite advantage of the setup in the new building is that the museum is now open year round, all facilities having the same open hours as they are fully integrated, with no barriers among the Museum, Library, Visitor Centre and Gift Shop. As well, a single staff is on hand to welcome visitors and library patrons, greatly reducing operating costs.
Take a virtual tour of Trail Riverfront Centre.