The City of Calgary has unveiled final designs for the new Central Library. The downtown library, designed by Snøhetta + Dialog, will be located just east of City Hall in the East Village.

“Since embarking on this project, one of the things we’ve kept reminding ourselves is that we don’t just want to build the best library in the world. We want to build the library that’s best for Calgary.” Craig Dykers of Snøhetta explains, “At this moment in time, with the city conditions that surround us, with the different needs of all of you in the community, we continue to ask ourselves, how we are going to make the right library?”

The entire concept for the building was shaped by the LRT tracks that bisect the library site in a north to south arc. The unique and organic curvature of the building and the soft terraces and ramps outside are sophisticated responses to the presence of the tracks.

Architect Rob Adamson of DIALOG says, “The exterior and street life surrounding the library is just as much a part of the building as the interior. The outdoor plaza welcomes visitors from East Village and beyond and invites them into the building to explore, relax, reflect and connect.”

The new facility will cost $245 million and the building will occupy about 278,000 square feet of space. Construction is currently underway and the new library is scheduled to open its doors in 2018.