Stairways playfully criss-cross through the skylit atrium of the library. Different types of gathering places are interwoven in the plan, including a large theatre, study areas, storytelling spaces and a lounge-style reading room on the top floor.
LOCATION Halifax, Nova Scotia
ARCHITECTS Fowler Bauld & Mitchell Ltd. (architect & prime consultant) with Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects (architectural design consultant)
PHOTOS Adam Mørk
The Halifax Central Library is the most significant public building completed in the Nova Scotia capital in over a generation, and a new cultural hub for the region. The 15,000-square-metre building was designed through a series of participative public consultations and focus study sessions, which established ambitious architectural, social and environmental goals. Consequently, the library accommodates a variety of programs and sustainable features, including a 300-seat performance space, music studios, a First Nations Circle, rainwater collection and a vegetated green roof. Most important, it provides a free public space in the midst of the city. Located on a prominent site in downtown Halifax, the library is advantageously situated to create vibrant plazas within the surrounding urban context. The building is composed of three stacked glass volumes that are topped by a monumental glass cantilever. Each volume is rotated to embrace views of the surrounding ocean and the city?s landmarks.
The library is composed of stacked boxes t...