Halifax Central Library | 27 m | 6 fl | Completed

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by SaraG

Calgary is spending $245 million on their new Central Library.

Just think how much we could save them, then! Seems like a win-win: they save $190 million to use on far more useful things and we get to start over again with something far more reasonable.

[beyeas]

Originally Posted by Chadillaccc

Okay, I see what you mean for sure. But who knows, maybe when the building and interiors are finished and the lights are on, that will make it look orange? I dunno. I can see a bit of orange in the current colours but it does of course look more purple-ish than orange.

I was looking at the colour today, and comparing to the photo they have posted on the fencing. There is no doubt that the glass installed is nominally orange, but it is reflecting the blue in the sky and so when you look it at is has a purplish hue.

The major difference between the glass that is installed and what was in the photo isn't it nominal colour, but rather its reflectance. The glass in the photo was completely transparent, whereas the installed glass is highly reflective. I think it was reflecting less of the blue sky it would look less purple during the day.

[MonctonRad]

Using terminology like "nominal colour" and "reflectance", you are letting your physics background shine through beyeas!

If you are correct though, then the glass should appear orange after dark with internal lighting providing transmitted (and not reflected) illumination.

[fenwick16]

Originally Posted by q12

Source: http://metronews.ca/features/halifaxs-ph...ing-has-sprung-halifax-week-in-pictures/

(METRO/Jeff Harper)

I think this picture shows the difference in colour depending on the reflectance of the sky colour (or whatever other reason there might be), since it shows two different sides of the library.

[beyeas]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Using terminology like "nominal colour" and "reflectance", you are letting your physics background shine through beyeas!

If you are correct though, then the glass should appear orange after dark with internal lighting providing transmitted (and not reflected) illumination.

LOL true

And yours is an excellent testable hypothesis! I will await shots of it illuminated at night before drawing a conclusion :-)

[teddifax]

I have been missing the weekly updates.....

[ILoveHalifax]

I walked by the Library on July 1 and noticed they are now installing some glass on the middle floors. Looked like the same color as the lower floor but with some random foot prints on it. I was expecting a greater color change (more silver) from the first floor. I am not impressed so far.

[beyeas]

Originally Posted by ILoveHalifax

I walked by the Library on July 1 and noticed they are now installing some glass on the middle floors. Looked like the same color as the lower floor but with some random foot prints on it. I was expecting a greater color change (more silver) from the first floor. I am not impressed so far.

Biggest thing that I noticed was that the patterning was printed/frosted somehow right on the glass, whereas I think we had assumed based on the drawings that it was going to be a pressed metal over the glass (along the lines of City Centre).

[RyeJay]

Originally Posted by ILoveHalifax

I walked by the Library on July 1 and noticed they are now installing some glass on the middle floors. Looked like the same color as the lower floor but with some random foot prints on it. I was expecting a greater color change (more silver) from the first floor. I am not impressed so far.

If the final product that is the new Halifax Central Library doesn't look like what was contracted, who gets the blame? Does city council even care?

[Haligonian88]

Originally Posted by ILoveHalifax

I walked by the Library on July 1 and noticed they are now installing some glass on the middle floors. Looked like the same color as the lower floor but with some random foot prints on it. I was expecting a greater color change (more silver) from the first floor. I am not impressed so far.

I haven't seen the latest glass installed, but here is a drawing from which you can see where the variations should occur (assuming it hasn't changed since it went out to tender).

[haligonia]

What an interesting diagram! I've never seen that before.

[haligonia]

I was walking down Queen Street today and noticed what ILoveHalifax was talking about. So far, the bit of glass installed on the second story doesn't contrast very strongly with the glass on the first floor. Still, there's lots more to be installed and I think that it will have more impact on a larger scale. I think it looks fantastic though!

[Aya_Akai]

So I found myself downtown today, and wanted to check out the library again and get a nice walk-around done of it to see just what was up with the new glass going up. Well I took my walk, I must say I do quite like the patterning on the glass, and well, I'll tell you I really.. REALLY like the idea of what they are actually doing as the patterning, it's not a perforated metal, and it's not just random designs.. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves..

(really sorry for the quality on these, had I known I was heading downtown to do this, I would've brought my D7K) also be sure to click the images for full resolution!

Walking up between the Dal buildings, the contrast gave a good glimpse of what it looks like from a distance..


A little bit closer...


At this point I wasn't blown away about this, cool design feature and all it looks pretty neat.. so I decided to walk around the site a little bit more..

Then looking through the fence, I noticed this...


Upon closer inspection..


Letters, they're leaves made of bunches of letters, how cool is that! It looks as though all those letters are etched into the glass itself, not just printed/adhered on.. there were a couple other spots where they had panels with the lettering on it, and they were nearly opaque. I must say, this is nothing like I was expecting, and I quite like it!

[Keith P.]

Anything to drive the cost up, I expect.

When the first of those lettered panes fails and needs replacement, I fully expect to see an army of Halifax Library staff with sheets of Letraset go to work on the unlettered replacement panels.

I happened by this monstrosity last night. In the setting sun, the "orange" glass looked more like baby-sh** brown. Seems an appropriate legacy.

[RyeJay]

I enjoy the letter-leaf patterning. I am on the fence about the not-so-orange glass.

In some pictures the glass has looked similar in colour to the common brick materials used in the downtown.

[haligonia]

Thanks for the pictures HaliStreaks! The lettering looks fabulous.

[eastcoastal]

Originally Posted by HaliStreaks

...It looks as though all those letters are etched into the glass itself, not just printed/adhered on.. there were a couple other spots where they had panels with the lettering on it, and they were nearly opaque. I must say, this is nothing like I was expecting, and I quite like it!

I think that the letters are likely made of ceramic frit, heat fused to the glass... the diagram further up on this page talks about the different densities/colours of frit on the glass...

[eastcoastal]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

... When the first of those lettered panes fails and needs replacement, I fully expect to see an army of Halifax Library staff with sheets of Letraset go to work on the unlettered replacement panels. ...

Do they even make Letraset anymore?

[scooby074]

I love the lettering.. I think it will look great.

However, a valid point was made, what about future replacements?

There are lots of downtown buildings with coloured glass that have had replacements that don't match. Looks awful (and cheap).

[IanWatson]

This may have already been posted, but if it was I missed it.

A nice spinoff of the library is that they're doing a bunch of streetscape work and undergrounding power lines along Queen: http://www.halifax.ca/designcon/cons/QueenStInfrastructureRenewal.html