Library of Birmingham
| Library of Birmingham | |
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| General information | |
| Type | Public library |
| Architectural style | |
| Location | Centenary Square |
| Address | Broad Street |
| Town or city | Birmingham |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 52°28′47″N 1°54′30″W / 52.47972°N 1.90833°WCoordinates: 52°28′47″N 1°54′30″W / 52.47972°N 1.90833°W |
| Elevation | 144 m (472 ft) AOD |
| Construction started | 7 January 2010 |
| Completed | April 2013 |
| Opened | 3 September 2013 |
| Cost | £188.8 million |
| Client | Birmingham City Council |
| Owner | Birmingham City Council |
| Height | 60 metres (200 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 10 (OG) 1 (UG) |
| Floor area | 20,798m2 (plus 6,804m2 shared with the REP) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Francine Houben |
| Architecture firm | Mecanoo architecten |
| Structural engineer | Buro Happold |
| Services engineer | Buro Happold/Capita |
| Civil engineer | Buro Happold |
| Main contractor |
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| Awards and prizes | |
| Collection | |
| Items collected | Books, journals, newspapers, magazines, official publications, photographs, BFI Mediatheque, sound and music recordings, maps, postage stamps, prints, drawings, manuscripts and media. |
| Size | 800,000 (Books) |
| Access and use | |
| Circulation | 316,000 (2014) |
| Other information | |
| Budget | £8.5 million (2015-16) |
| Director | Brian Gambles |
| Staff | 100 (2015) |
| Website | www |
The Library of Birmingham is a public library in Birmingham, England. It is situated on the west side of the city centre at Centenary Square, beside the Birmingham Rep (to which it connects, and with which it shares some facilities) and Baskerville House. Upon opening on 3 September 2013, it replaced Birmingham Central Library. The library, which is estimated to have cost £188.8 million, is viewed by the Birmingham City Council as a flagship project for the city's redevelopment. It has been described as the largest public library in the United Kingdom, the largest public cultural space in Europe, and the largest regional library in Europe. 2,414,860 million visitors came to the library in 2014 making it the 10th most popular visitor attraction in the UK.
Birmingham City Council looked into relocating the library for many years. The original plan was to build a new library in the emerging Eastside district, which had been opened up to the city centre following the demolition of Masshouse Circus. A library was designed by Richard Rogers on a site in the area. However, for financial reasons and reservations about the location this plan was shelved. The Council suggested that the Library be split between a new building built between the Rep Theatre and Baskerville House at Centenary Square, which until 2009 was a public car park (to house the main lending library) and a building at Millennium Point in "Eastside" (to house the archives and special collections).
In August 2006, the Council confirmed the area between the Rep Theatre and Baskerville House as the future site for the library. Capita Symonds had been appointed as Project Managers for the Library of Birmingham. The council's intention was to create a "world class" landmark civic building in Centenary Square. Not long after this, the two-sites idea was scrapped and the archives and special collections will move to the site at Centenary Square.
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