Alderney Drumlin

The Alderney Drumlin takes its name and conceptual inspiration from the drumlin landforms that shape the geography of Halifax and Dartmouth. Like these glacial formations, the project introduces a raised topography into the central hall of the Alderney Gate Public Library, transforming a hard postmodern glass atrium into a warm and inhabitable civic landscape.

A series of terraced wood and upholstered seating elements rise gradually through the space, creating places to gather, read, meet, and pause within the everyday life of the library. The intervention connects to the adjacent pedway system through a continuous palette of ash wood, planting, and filtered natural light, extending the public realm inward and creating a more tactile and human-scaled environment.

Accessibility was central to the design. The entire Drumlin is fully barrier-free, allowing all users to move fluidly through the stepped landscape and participate equally in the civic life of the space.