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Since identifying a need for a new central library in 2004, the City of Calgary has embraced an array of private and public partners to make the project a reality. That collaborative experience has resulted in a shared vision for what will instantly become one of the most talked-about libraries in Canada when the doors swing open in 2018. The 240,000-square-foot facility won't just be a temple for discovery, education, and social interaction, but a key sign of renewal in the East Village. Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC), a City of Calgary subsidiary and master developer of this burgeoning neighbourhood, was tasked with implementing the Rivers District Community Revitalization Plan in 2007. In the almost 10 years that have followed, the vision for the East Village has come to life bit by bit. Studio Bell is the latest cultural icon and bold architectural statement to grace the rapidly changing area, and with the New Central Library's three vertical concrete cores having been completed, Calgarians are beginning to understand just how impactful this landmark structure will be.
The $245 million development — $175 million from the City and $70 million from CMLC — emphasizes flexibility and functionality in a competition-winning design by Snøhetta and DIALOG. An open entry framed by wood-clad arches that reflect chinook cloud formations creates a grand civic space, while the interior is defined by a skylit atrium showcasing the library's programmatic circulation. More active engagement-focused spaces on the building's lower floors evolve into quieter study areas above, culminating with the Great Reading Room on level four. A dynamic children's area, tech-focused collaborative space, music-making studios, and gaming stations are just some of the notable features library users can expect to enjoy, all of which are contained within a building that incorporates a working LRT line. The section of underground track that gently slopes upward to the surface has now been encapsulated and the resulting tunnel forms the foundation for the landmark library. Remarkably, the CTrain maintained operation during the 18-month, 150-metre-long encapsulation process.
In such a multi-faceted building exercise as this, there are naturally a lot of interesting tidbits that lead to a greater appreciation of the development's inherent complexities. To help achieve a better understanding of the scale and scope of the New Central Library, Snøhetta Project Manager Vanessa Kassabian recently spoke to SkyriseCalgary about the development's design evolution and its importance to the community.
SkyriseCalgary: The New Central Library is a crucial cultural component to the overall transformation of East Village from a neglected neighbourhood into a vibrant mixed-use community. To Snøhetta, how does the project relate to the East Village and Calgary as a whole?
Vanessa Kassabian: The East Village is the realization of a revitalized urban community with both residential, commercial, and cultural spaces. The New Central Library will also be a vibrant hub where all of these come together. It is both a mixing ground and a link between Downtown and the East Village. By taking advantage of the LRT site constraints and lifting the entry to the library, many people will interact with the library on a daily basis as they cross between these two areas of the city. The LRT stop is just to the north of the Library and will also allow commuters to the area to interact with the Library on a daily basis. For us, one of the most important challenges was to create a vibrant street experience and bring people together at the street level and create a place for all Calgarians inside and outside the building.
SC: Working with DIALOG, you won a design competition for the project. Were there certain criteria you had to adhere to or were you given more artistic freedom?
VK: The competition brief was both thorough and thoughtful. Snøhetta and DIALOG had been discussing partnering on the new Library project for a few years prior to the brief being released. The site itself had changed a couple times during this course as well. As both architects and landscape architects, we really focus on the site and its surroundings prior to thinking about the building. We visited the site multiple times with DIALOG prior to starting the design and realized that the site constraints could actually help facilitate creating a central hub by bringing people together in an interesting way. The brief called for a strong link between Downtown and the East Village. The barrier of the LRT shape and change in elevation over the length of the project was probably the biggest challenge in relationship to this. The flood had also just happened and the site itself had had major flooding so the potential for building below grade was no longer an option. All these contributing factors have led to the building and site we have today.
One deviation from the brief that the team proposed was the elongation of the site boundary that we were given. We took a chance by elongating the site to give the building a presence on 7th Avenue from the LRT stop. We felt the visibility from all of the surrounding streets would help orient visitors and draw them toward the Library. There is always a risk when you deviate from the brief requirements but we felt it was the right answer to this specific site and program. We were able to convince both the CMLC and the Library that this was the best overall direction for the site and we were able to move forward with it. The competition proposal hasn't radically changed but it has been strengthened by the collaboration of the design team and the owners.
SC: The project shares some resemblance to the Temple University Library in Philadelphia, particularly the wooden arches. Was that project partially inspired by your design for the Calgary Library?
VK: As an office that works collaboratively and where many hands touch a project at the initial stages, there are bound to be shared inspirations throughout the projects. Each of the projects do have arches but formalistically they function differently within the building's mass. The arch in the Calgary Library acts as an open gateway or passage between neighbourhoods while the Temple Library arch lifts the mass of the building for a connection between inside and outside.
SC: The interior program emphasizes airy spaces, collaborative meeting places, and seating areas. Why are engagement and human interaction an important piece of library design?
VK: With technology actually creating less interaction within our environment and each other on a day-to-day basis, the modern library can help facilitate interaction between all ages, demographics, and economic diversity. People are using libraries today in different ways, as group gathering spaces and learning facilities, for public functions and lectures, for access to computers and job training they do not have access to at home. We have also tried to create places within the Library where everyone can feel comfortable — individual and group seating, a quiet Reading Room, and a casual café that overlooks the trains emerging from the tunnel below. The Atrium allows visibility from the Lobby to all areas of the Library and the circulation both internally and at the edges of the building allow universal access for all. The Library will bring people together and allow them to use this evolution of technology in ways that help collaboration and learning.
SC: From Norman Foster's The Bow to Santiago Calatrava's Peace Bridge, it seems Calgary developers and the city itself are making conscious decisions to hire world-renowned architects for major city-building projects. The New Central Library will also be steps away from the unique recently completed National Music Centre, another bold cultural building in East Village. With the city and neighbourhood experiencing a tremendous amount of growth, what do you think Calgary's architectural future will look like?
VK: The success of growth in Calgary over the last few years has been the enormous commitment by the developers and planners of the city focusing primarily on enhancing the design of public spaces and architecture for the community. International architects have partnered with both local architects and clients that are determined to make a difference in the city. The entire course of our project has seen an evolution of construction and growth spearheaded by CMLC in the East Village and adjacent St. Patrick's Island and many of these new buildings and spaces that are starting to become part of the city fabric are creating a discourse on architecture and space. The success of these projects not only draws people into the city from the local communities but will help Calgary become a global destination.
According to the official website, the steel and concrete structural frame of the building should be completed by the end of the year. The geometric clear and fritted glass cladding is also expected to be finished on the south side before 2017 arrives, with the other sides following in the first few months of the new year. When the building is sealed, the interior appointments can begin. That includes the Community Commons at street level, which will feature a 1,500-square-foot café, 340-seat theatre, and a group of free and publicly accessible conference rooms.
The building's unique and adaptable spaces have been designed to facilitate a range of educational activities. From quietly studying to engaging with others, each area of the building is devoted to creating memorable and distinct experiences. With an award-winning pedigree in designing progressive structures for recognized institutions around the world, including Ryerson University's Student Learning Centre in Toronto, Snøhetta has the architectural arsenal necessary to deliver the library of the future. As vertical construction and cladding installation continues to turn a visionary aspiration into a newfound reality, SkyriseCalgary will keep you updated on the progress.
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