Last December the new Halifax Central Library opened its doors. The design for the 15,000 m² library was won back in 2010 by Danish architecture firm schmidt hammer lassen and local firm Fowler Bauld & Mitchell in an international competition. The library is located in the heart of Halifax, standing as a cultural hub accessible to everyone.
Image © Adam Mørk
The new Halifax Central Library has an open, welcoming design which reflects the city’s diverse population and heritage. The exterior of the library appears as four rectangular shapes placed on top of one another and horizontally twisted to relate to the two diagonal directions that are dominant in the otherwise orthogonal grid of the city.
Image © Adam Mørk
Halifax is a city whose maritime heritage calls for attention when designing a new public building. Therefore, the historical axis between the Halifax Citadel and the Halifax Harbour, crossing right through the library site, is reflected in the orientation of the fifth floor of the building containing the Halifax Living Room hereby providing not only a unique view but also an understanding of the city’s historical heritage.
– Morten Schmidt – Founding Partner of schmidt hammer lassen architects
Image © Adam Mørk
The interior of the library reflects the diversity of the exterior with stairs and bridges in the atrium connecting the five storeys. The light-filled atrium gives an overview of the wide range of facilities the library offers, including a 300-seat performance space, two cafés, gaming stations, music studios, dedicated space for adult literacy classes, a First Nations reading circle, and boardrooms for local entrepreneurs. The entire second floor is dedicated to children and young adults with areas designed for each age group, ranging from toddlers to teens.
Image © Adam Mørk
The new Halifax Central Library is a modern, hybrid library. It combines the best of a traditional library with new and innovative programmes and facilities. By designing a library that is adaptable we embrace multiple functions to ensure that the library will meet the needs of the Halifax community into the future. People should see this building not only as a library but as a free public space in the heart of the city.
– Chris Hardie – Partner at schmidt hammer lassen architects
Image © Adam Mørk
Modern libraries are one of the most important platforms for exchanging knowledge. As opposed to information found on the internet, the knowledge that arises through collaboration and exchange between people in a library is of particular significance. The new Halifax Central Library is a cultural hub, a vital centre for learning and a civic landmark for the entire community.
– Morten Schmidt – Founding Partner of schmidt hammer lassen architects
Image © Adam Mørk
schmidt hammer lassen architects has an extensive track-record of designing libraries; the most renowned of these may be the extension to the Royal Library in Copenhagen, Denmark and the RIBA Award-winning University of Aberdeen New Library in Scotland. In 2014, the first library designed by the architectural practice in Canada was opened in Edmonton. In 2015 DOKK1, the new public library in Aarhus, Denmark, will be completed; it will be the largest of its kind in Scandinavia.
Image © Adam Mørk
Image © Adam Mørk
Image © Adam Mørk
Image © Adam Mørk
Image © Adam Mørk
Image © Adam Mørk
Image © Adam Mørk
Image © Adam Mørk
Facts:
Architect team: schmidt hammer lassen architects (design architect), Fowler Bauld & Mitchell (prime consultant architect)
Client: Halifax Regional Municipality, Halifax Public Libraries
Area: 15,000 m²
Construction budget: € 33 million excl. VAT
Competition: 2010, 1st prize in international competition
Status: Construction period 2011-2014
Engineers: Structural: SNC Lavalin Inc., Ove Arup (Concept Design)
Mechanical: CBCL Limited, Ove Arup (Concept Design)
Electrical: CBCL Limited, Ove Arup (Concept Design)
Civil: SNC Lavalin Inc.
Landscape architect: Gordon Ratcliffe Landscape Architect
Interior: schmidt hammer lassen architects, Fowler Bauld & Mitchell
Public Consultation: Myrgan Inc.
Sustainability: Solterre Design
Acoustics: Swallow Acoustic Consultants Ltd.
Building Code: RJ Bartlett Engineering Ltd.
Curtain Wall: BVDA Façade Engineering Ltd.
Wind & Snow Environmental: Theakston Environmental Consulting Engineers
Theatre Design: Theatre Consulting Group Ltd.
Third Party Commissioning: FC O’Neill Scriven & Assoc. Ltd.
Project Manager: Halifax Regional Municipality
Construction Manager: EllisDon Corporation
Sustainability: Targeting LEED Gold certification
Photography: Adam Mørk
*All images and informations courtesy of schmidt hammer lassen architects.
