A growing number of students have Ottawa's two universities looking for more space.

The University of Ottawa recently issued a request for proposals to house its library warehouse in a 30,000-square-foot structure that will include 12,000 square feet of office space.

The current library warehouse, a storehouse for several hundred thousand books that don't fit within on-campus libraries, is currently located at 2935 Conroy Rd. That lease is due to expire in a couple of years and the owner has indicated they wish to redevelop the property for retail use, said University of Ottawa procurement officer Sophie Racine.

At 18,000 square feet, the new warehouse will be almost a third larger than the old structure, said Ms. Racine. The new property will also have the potential for a future expansion as the university population increases.

"It is probably going to keep growing because our student population keeps going up and the library tries to keep many books," said Ms. Racine.

The university is looking to lease the new office and warehouse space for 15 years, with two five-year options, in 2010 and will consider a lease-purchase option. Proximity to the university campus is important since books and employees travel to and from the library warehouse daily, said Ms. Racine.

So far, almost a dozen proponents have expressed interest and have toured the existing facility, said Ms. Racine.

Across the city at Carleton University, a site plan control application has been filed with the city for the new seven-storey 'Canal Building,' which will be built between the University Centre, the MacKenzie Building and Library Road.

Alex Leung of Ottawa-based Griffiths Rankin Cook Architects is the architect for the project, according to documentation filed with the city. Totten Sims Hubicki Associates and Golder Associates both completed background studies for the project.

The Canal Building and its partner project, the River Building, are expected to add significant capacity for academic programs, increase graduate student space and include a 400-seat theatre, according to the minutes of a university Senate meeting last fall.

Construction on the two Carleton buildings is expected to be completed in 2010.