New Central Library | ?m | 6s | Calgary Library | Snøhetta

General rating of the project

  • Great

    Votes: 53 72.6%

  • Very Good

    Votes: 16 21.9%

  • Good

    Votes: 4 5.5%

  • So so

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Not Very Good

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Terrible

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    73
Now that the wood soffit has been installed, it is beginning to look better. However, I still wish they would have used more transparent glass, at least another 20% worth. The inside from that one picture looks a little dark and drab. Hope they brighten it up and put some nice finishings in there, otherwise it does not look impressive. Overall this project I feel will settle in as a 8/10. A great addition but not a revolutionary landmark.
 
Yeah, more glass would have been nice. Does anyone know why they would’ve cut back on the glass? I assume it’s something to do with the amount of light and the books and all that, but Seattle’s library has a lot more glass.
 
It's been mentioned in the past that it was some sort of a budget issue. However, with it now being all but certain that the NCL is going to come in under budget and ahead of schedule, I can't see that being a reason.

It could just be that they didn't even plan to put that much glass on to begin with, and whoever made the render made an overestimate on the transparent and translucent parts.
 
I can't see adding a few extra glass panes being that much more expensive than adding a bunch of wall. Perhaps long-term heating costs might be a little higher?
It's a lovely building, but the extra glass could've made it a masterpiece - which I was hoping it would be.
 
The glass over the entrance gave the illusion of a much grander space through the building. I can't see that costing more. There were also some angular planes of glass that were eliminated. It still turned out as a nice modern, Nordic inspired design but it's a little too ordinary even with the patterned facade and wood soffits for a designer, public building.
 
I wonder how hard it would be to retrofit a few more pieces of glass at a later date? If a panel broke they can fix it, so you would think they could add more glass later if they changed their mind.
 
Had a chance to finally see NMC from the inside. Didn't bring my good camera, but figured I'd share a cell phone shot of the library from there.


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I got my first visit in to Studio Bell a couple of weeks back. I found the building itself is fantastic, but the musuem is kinda lacking. I'm sure it will improve over time, but at the moment it feels kinda empty and sterile.
 
Beltline_B said:
What did you think of the building?(Studio Bell)
Click to expand...

To be honest, at first I was a little underwhelmed, but the more I had a chance to take it in and experience its nuances, the more I liked it. Overall it's a bit darker than I'd prefer (I wish they contrasted the terracotta with some white inside so the light doesn't get sucked up), but it's definitely an interesting and unique piece of architecture.

In terms of the exhibition space, I thought the floor with all the musical instruments was great. Some of the others we're a bit thin.
 
DiscoStu said:
To be honest, at first I was a little underwhelmed, but the more I had a chance to take it in and experience its nuances, the more I liked it. Overall it's a bit darker than I'd prefer (I wish they contrasted the terracotta with some white inside so the light doesn't get sucked up), but it's definitely an interesting and unique piece of architecture.

In terms of the exhibition space, I thought the floor with all the musical instruments was great. Some of the others we're a bit thin.
Click to expand...
I felt like it was lacking connections to the actual music scene in Calgary today. It seemed pretty focussed on the mainstream Canadian music industry. I'd like to see more connections to sled island, indigenous music, local venues, folk fest, etc.
 
Don't necessarily disagree with you, but it is the national music centre after all, so having a Canada-wide focus naturally lends itself to more mainstream music. I would imagine the connections to the local scene would need to come more through events as opposed to exhibits.

Hopefully there are some travelling exhibits coming through as well. Considering we don't really have a better option, I think they could use it for non-music related art too.

I think in the long-run though Id love to see it be more like a living music lab than primarily an exhibition space.
 
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