Snøhetta and Dialog have released final designs (and video) for a new Central Library in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, following a lengthy stage of community engagement to develop their competition-winning proposal from 2013. Working with Canadian firm Dialog—which has offices in Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto and Calgary—as executive architect, Snøhetta designed a 236,000-square-foot library that covers an existing light rail station, and incorporates gradual elevation changes within the landscape topography to lift the building above the station. A wood-lined arch greets visitors to the library, and opens it to views of Calgary’s downtown area. The arrangement of clear and fritted glass façade panels allow transparency in public zones and opacity for spaces dedicated to more focused study. Within the library, floors are split around a central, skylight-covered atrium, with circulation paths on the interior perimeter visible from all levels. The most public parts of the library are at ground level, with quieter areas such as study rooms on the upper floors.
Construction over the light rail station has begun, and completion of the library is expected in 2018.
For more images and information, visit ARCHITECT’s Project Gallery.
