CALGARY CENTRAL LIBRARY, CALGARY, ALBERTA, CANADA (2018) ARCHITECTS: SNØHETTA & DIALOG
The Calgary Central Library was designed by the Norwegian-American architects SnØhetta in collaboration with the Canadian architectural office Dialog in 2014 and construction was completed in November 2018. This building aimed to welcome over twice as many visitors than the previous library with its new and improved facilities in a new location. Some of these new facilities include a children’s playing area, an interior and exterior café and audio and video production studios. Improved facilities consist of more public seating, from 524 seats to 1,925. There are also nearly one million more visits annually than before, going from 1.1 million to 2 million annually in the new library. (1)
When you look in from the outside, you can see the atrium and into these spaces which invites outsiders in. A curved crystalline façade is in effect from the outside. There is no “front façade” as such. All sides are enclosed in the same design.
When you enter the building, you enter a sky lit atrium (above). When people enter this space, the light from above helps them to orientate themselves. This space takes the shape of an eye while all staircases and other spaces follow this shape and loop around. (2) The lighting scheme combines daylight and LED lighting harmoniously in the nature influenced architecture.
The public spaces are on the lower floors and as you progress upwards you can find the quieter study rooms. The upper levels are more exposed to this natural lighting and views of the city from the polygonal panels of glass. The Great Reading Room or the Main Reading Room (above), which is found on the top floor of the library, is naturally lit through a skylight with wooden slats. This would contribute to people’s productivity.
The location of the site is one of urban complexity. This building is located on the border between the East Village and Downtown Calgary. A Light Rail Transit Line crosses on this site from above to below. (3) It is a six-storey building with a triple-glazed façade featuring more than 460 alternating polygonal panels of fritted glass and aluminium. (4) The use of fritted and opaque materials plays a key role in the manipulation of the daylight design. When you look in from the outside, you can see the atrium and into these spaces which invites outsiders in. A curved crystalline façade is in effect from the outside. There is no “front façade” as such. All sides are enclosed in the same design.
The Calgary Central Library has received the Architecture Honour Award from the American Institute of Architects and another from the Consulting Engineers of Alberta in 2020, the Award of Excellence in Building Engineering – Institutional.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Facts | Calgary Public Library [Internet]. [cited 2020 Oct 25]. Available from: https://calgarylibrary.ca/read-learn-and-explore/central-library/facts/
Calgary Central Library / Snøhetta | ArchDaily [Internet]. [cited 2020 Oct 25]. Available from: https://www.archdaily.com/905263/calgary-central-library-snohetta
3. Calgary’s new Central Library - Snøhetta [Internet]. [cited 2020 Oct 25]. Available from: https://snohetta.com/projects/407-calgary39s-new-central-library
4. PPG DURANAR Coatings Add Distinctive Effects to Façade of Calgary Central L...: EBSCOhost [Internet]. [cited 2020 Oct 25]. Available from: https://web-a-ebscohost-com.ucd.idm.oclc.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=2&sid=a186a2c2-4d3b-4670-aff5-c57b66e12b50%40sdc-v-sessmgr02
