Calgary Central Library
| Calgary Central Library | |
|---|---|
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| Alternative names | New Central Library |
| General information | |
| Status | Under construction |
| Type | Public library |
| Location | Calgary, Alberta |
| Coordinates | 51°02′43″N 114°03′18″W / 51.0453°N 114.0549°WCoordinates: 51°02′43″N 114°03′18″W / 51.0453°N 114.0549°W |
| Construction started | 2013 |
| Estimated completion | 2018 |
| Cost | $245 million |
| Owner | Calgary Public Library |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 4 |
| Floor area | 240,000 sq ft (22,000 m2) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architecture firm |
Snøhetta DIALOG |
| Website | |
| yycnewcentrallibrary.com | |
The Calgary Central Library, also known as the Calgary New Central Library (NCL), is an under construction public library in Calgary, Alberta that will be part of the Calgary Public Library system when completed in 2018. The four-storey structure is being built in the Downtown East Village neighborhood and will include 240,000 square feet (22,000 m2) of space. The $245 million library will replace the existing central branch in Downtown Calgary, built in 1963 and expanded in 1974.
A combined bid from American-Norwegian architecture firm Snøhetta and Canadian firm DIALOG won a design competition held for the project in 2013. Their design features an oval-like form and an interior with a large central atrium with a skylight. The building is elevated one floor above street level to accommodate a light rail trackway below as well as a public plaza.
Planning for a new library began in 2004 and was finalized in 2011. Construction began in 2013 with the of an existing CTrain light rail tunnel portal; above-ground construction of the library itself began in September 2015.
The Central Library will be located along 3rd Street SE between 7th and 9th avenues in the Downtown East Village neighborhood, adjacent to the Calgary Municipal Building. The CTrain City Hall station is located to the west of the library's northwest corner.
Planning for a new central library branch in Downtown Calgary, to replace an older building used since 1964, began in 2004. The city of Calgary, working with the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation, proposed a site adjacent to the city hall in the Downtown East Village neighborhood. The Calgary City Council approved the project in 2011, providing $40 million for its construction. Rejected sites included the current library in Downtown, the former headquarters of the Calgary Board of Education, the Olympic Plaza, and the former Telus World of Science centre in the Downtown West End.
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