Photo Credit (Above): Ema Peter Photography
Location: Mississauga, Ontario
Architecture Practice: RDH Architects Inc.
Chosen by a jury of respected design experts, the 20 projects comprising the OAA’s 2026 Design Excellence Finalists represent a diverse range of building types, including sustainably designed community centres, innovative housing solutions, revitalized academic and cultural facilities, and transformative public spaces. These finalists serve as the shortlist for the OAA’s 10 Design Excellence Winners, which will be announced next month and honoured at the OAA Conference in the Waterloo Region in May. The biennial OAA Design Excellence Awards program offers Ontario practices the opportunity to display the transformative influence of architecture, promoting broader public recognition and appreciation for the field. The following media statement has been supplied by the submitting project team:
The Mississauga Central Library project is a major renovation and addition to an existing structure located adjacent to the Mississauga City Hall. The scope of the project was to provide for a complete interior renovation to all five floors of the existing building and the construction of a 5,000 square foot glazed addition at the highest level.
The design concept aspires to transform the interior environment through the reshaping of two large atrium spaces, the creation of new site lines and views across floor plates and within the interconnected spaces, and a design language of transparency, perception, and view.
Photo Credit: Tom Arban
Photo Credit: RDH Architects Inc.
Photo Credit: Tom Arban
This blOAAg post is part of a series exploring the OAA’s 20 Design Excellence Finalists for 2026, as selected by our jury.