Halifax Central Library | 27 m | 6 fl | Completed

[skyscraperfan]

Public Meeting on Wednesday November 14th

http://www.halifaxcentrallibrary.ca/building-design/

[worldlyhaligonian]

The exterior cladding will make or break this project.

[haligonia]

Originally Posted by worldlyhaligonian

The exterior cladding will make or break this project.

I agree. I think it will turn out great, given that we're dealing with an internationally-renowned architecture firm and a pretty healthy budget.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by haligonia

and a pretty healthy budget.

That's the understatement of the year.

I wonder if the public meeting will show off Queen Judith's mink carpets.

[SekishikiMeikaiHa]

Weekly updates:

[worldlyhaligonian]

Are they still cladding city centre atlantic???

[Nifta]

Yeah, it's nearly done now. They were adding another of those cheese-graters when I walked by in the middle of the week.

[RyeJay]

Thanks to SekishikiMeikaiHa's amazing picture updates (!!), I was able to throw this together: a rough comparison...

[eastcoastal]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

... Queen Judith's mink carpets.

Please tell me that's not a euphemism

[Dmajackson]

Halifax Central Library — take a 3D virtual tour.
Join us for a virtual unveiling of all of the interior designs and building finishes. The architects will be on hand and there will be a couple of collaborative conversations, too. Come and see what we have created together.

What: Final Public Meeting
Where: Pier 21, Heritage Hall 1055 Marginal Road, Halifax | Free Parking
When: Wednesday, November 14, 7-9 p.m.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. to enjoy:
TEA & COFFEE · MUSICAL ENTERTAINMENT · DISPLAYS

[Dmajackson]

I'm watching the presentation live from the online feed ( halifaxcentrallibrary.ca ).

3D Walkthrough of the interior

Floor Plans

It looks awesome. Can't wait to the see the progress made on this when I'm home next month!

and to answers Keith's rhetorical questions; no its not goldplated, no there is no statue to Judith Hare, and no she will not inhabit the top floor.

I think this has to be the best example of public process that has ever happened in Halifax. Nova Centre seems to be moving this way as well which should make for a renewed Downtown!

[fenwick16]

Originally Posted by Dmajackson

I'm watching the presentation live from the online feed ( halifaxcentrallibrary.ca ).

3D Walkthrough of the interior

I completely agree with your comments Dmajackson. And the 3D Walkthrough is an amazing video!

[Aya_Akai]

Could we update this thread's name? Seeing as they even say it in the video walkthrough, it's only 5 floors, not 6.

[someone123]

Looks nice. I think the layout really drives home the point that this building will be a lot more open and modern than the older public buildings downtown. The old library has character but it's very cramped in comparison and doesn't have the same variety of indoor spaces that the new building will offer. A "living room" area might perform some of the same functions in the winter months that the Public Gardens do in the summer. It'll give people a warm place to stop that's not geared toward getting them to buy stuff.

The renderings generally exaggerate the scale of the library site, the nearby streets, and some of the buildings nearby. This is a pretty big building but I hope it will also fit in with the fairly fine-grained urban fabric along Spring Garden Road and will create more of a feeling of enclosure along this stretch of the street. In the future when the Nova Centre and St. Mary's projects are also underway this whole area might have a more tight-knit feel similar to the nicer parts of Barrington or Argyle. I think it will be a big improvement.

[eastcoastal]

My thoughts now are geared toward whether or not there was a missed opportunity to have the cafe on the ground floor where its visibility from the street might encourage more public interaction and allow the ground floor to feel more like public space.

[eastcoastal]

Originally Posted by eastcoastal

My thoughts now are geared toward whether or not there was a missed opportunity to have the cafe on the ground floor where its visibility from the street might encourage more public interaction and allow the ground floor to feel more like public space.

oops - looked at the plans. Guess there are two cafes. d\I'm doubtful that two cafes will make sense to operate in one building. I guess that will depend on the rate of usage in the building.... ground level will be street/public oriented and Level 5 will be oriented more toward library users once they're already in the doors.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by eastcoastal

oops - looked at the plans. Guess there are two cafes. d\I'm doubtful that two cafes will make sense to operate in one building. I guess that will depend on the rate of usage in the building.... ground level will be street/public oriented and Level 5 will be oriented more toward library users once they're already in the doors.

There is no justification for even one cafe, let alone two. The area is overrun with cafes a stone's throw away. But perhaps Queen Judith will be able to get her cappuccinos more quickly with 2 in the building.

This is a perfect example of how consultation runs amok. The idea of a cafe was raised during that phase by those who use the old library, who seemingly could not grasp that the new place was right across the street from Starbucks and the Second Cup. So "cafes" go onto the wish list, and now we have 2 unneeded wastes of space and money. But then again, it is a long list of such items. A frigging RECORDING STUDIO??? Maybe there's a massage parlor in there too. This place is a total boondoggle and the waste is simply profligate.

[haligonia]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

There is no justification for even one cafe, let alone two. The area is overrun with cafes a stone's throw away. But perhaps Queen Judith will be able to get her cappuccinos more quickly with 2 in the building.

This is a perfect example of how consultation runs amok. The idea of a cafe was raised during that phase by those who use the old library, who seemingly could not grasp that the new place was right across the street from Starbucks and the Second Cup. So "cafes" go onto the wish list, and now we have 2 unneeded wastes of space and money. But then again, it is a long list of such items. A frigging RECORDING STUDIO??? Maybe there's a massage parlor in there too. This place is a total boondoggle and the waste is simply profligate.

The recording studio is one of the best additions to the plans. Having a place where youth can go and just be creative seems like a perfect thing to have in a library.

[Aya_Akai]

Originally Posted by haligonia

The recording studio is one of the best additions to the plans. Having a place where youth can go and just be creative seems like a perfect thing to have in a library.

I couldn't agree more!

[Dmajackson]

With two cafes I really hope one is recognizable and one is a local brand. Something like Tim Horton's on the ground floor and Just Us! Cafe on the roof.

Normally I wouldn't consider Tim's a good library brand but its current location on SGR is really run-down. With the two other major brands on the same corner I think its the most likely and best fit. It could be a good catalyst to redeveloping the four buildings at the corner of SGR & Dresdon.