For the Canadian city of Calgary, the construction of the new library is the most significant contribution to public infrastructure since the 1988 Winter Olympics. Even before the choice of the architect, more than 16,000 citizens were interviewed - what is important to them in the new building, what functional program they expect, etc. This attention to librarianship on the part of the municipality is no coincidence: more than half of the residents actively use their library cards, which makes the network of public libraries in Calgary one of the largest in North America. Considering the role of such an institution as a community center, which unites people of various professions, ages, interests, only intensified in the digital era, it was important to make the Central Library open and useful for everyone.
The second challenge for the architects, Snøhetta, supported by the local DIALOG workshop, was to connect the two central districts, Downtown proper and East Village, delimited by light rail lines. Right at the construction site, trains go into an underground tunnel: now they enter the building at ground level and "disappear" there. To finally bring this part of the city into context, the building received a wide amphitheater staircase on the outside with an arch of the main entrance, reminiscent of the spectacular clouds blown by the chinook, characteristic of the province of Alberta, where Calgary is located. The arch is lined with folded thuja timber from neighboring British Columbia. A plaza has been created nearby, the neighboring streets are now landscaped with elms and aspen poplars. The eye-catching hexagonal fronts are composed of glass, fritted and aluminum panels.
Inside, on a total area of 22,300 m2 (2/3 more than in the previous building), there is a spectacular atrium and a variety of spaces designed for group and individual lessons, for children (including closed play areas necessary in the Canadian climate) and adults, for communication and reflection. From entertainment to serious functions, the path leads from the bottom up, from the first to the sixth floor. There, at the very top, is the main reading room, visually connected with the rest of the interior, but acoustically protected thanks to the buffer zone. On the sharp "nose" of the library there is a living room with a view of the city.
