CALGARY – The final design for the Calgary’s new Central Library was revealed to the public on Tuesday.
With significant growth over the past 50 years, the City of Calgary says the existing library is unable to support the expanding operations of the Calgary Public Library.
The current Central Library is located in the heart of downtown while the new building will be built in Calgary’s East Village.
The multi-faceted facility will have more than half a million books to browse through, and about 240,000 square feet of usable library space – more than double the space of the existing downtown library.
“The New Central Library embodies everything we’ve endeavored to accomplish in our redevelopment of East Village,” says Lyle Edwards, CMLC.
The $245 million dollar project will also have many large meeting spaces and a theatre.
It was designed by a Snohetta, an international architecture firm with offices in Oslo and New York, with the help of Canadian firm DIALOG.
“Since embarking on this project, one of the things we’ve kept reminding ourselves is that we don’t just want to build the best library in the world. We want to build the library that’s best for Calgary,” explains Craig Dykers of Snøhetta.
GALLERY: A look at Calgary’s New Central Library
Officials say the final design reflects suggestions gathered from two years of public engagement and open houses.In addition, the entire concept for the building was shaped by the LRT tracks that bisect the library site in a north to south arc.
“The exterior and street life surrounding the library is just as much a part of the building as the interior,” says Rob Adamson of DIALOG. “The outdoor plaza welcomes visitors from East Village and beyond and invites them into the building to explore, relax, reflect and connect.”
Construction of the New Central Library is already underway.
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