Calgary Central Library
The Calgary Central Library, also known as the Calgary New Central Library (NCL), is a public library in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and the flagship branch of the Calgary Public Library system. The building is located in the Downtown East Village neighborhood and opened on November 1, 2018, replacing an earlier central branch built in the 1960s in Downtown Calgary.
| Calgary Central Library | |
|---|---|
| Alternative names | New Central Library |
| General information | |
| Type | Public library |
| Location | 800 3rd Street SE Calgary, Alberta |
| Coordinates | 51.0453°N 114.0549°W |
| Construction started | 2013 |
| Completed | November 1, 2018 |
| Cost | $245 million (CAD) |
| Owner | Calgary Public Library |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 4 |
| Floor area | 22,000 m2 (240,000 sq ft) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architecture firm | Snøhetta DIALOG |
| Developer | Calgary Municipal Land Corporation |
| Structural engineer | Entuitive |
| Services engineer | SMP Engineering |
| Main contractor | Stuart Olson |
| Website | |
| https://calgarylibrary.ca/ | |
The four-storey building cost CA$245 million to construct and was designed by American-Norwegian architecture firm Snøhetta and Canadian firm DIALOG after the two firms' joint bid won a design competition in 2013. Their design features an oval-like form and an interior with a large central atrium with a skylight. The building is elevated one floor above street level to accommodate a Calgary light rail trackway below, as well as a public plaza.
Planning for a new library began in 2004 and was finalized in 2011. Construction began in 2013 with the encapsulation of an existing CTrain light rail tunnel portal; above-ground construction of the library itself began in September 2015.