Calgary Central Library

Location: Calgary, AB
Client: Calgary Municipal Land Corporation
Completion: 2018
Size: 22,297 sq m

240,000 sq ft
Sustainability: LEED® Gold certified
Collaborators: Entuitive

IB Jensen Masonry Ltd

MIG – Portico Group

Snøhetta

Stebnicki Mah Partners

Stuart Olson Construction
DIALOG Services: Architecture

Electrical Engineering

Interior Design

Landscape Architecture

Mechanical Engineering

Designed in association with Snohetta, the Calgary Central Library exemplifies the desire to create a long-lasting, enjoyable, viable resource for the people and guests of Calgary. As the city’s largest public investment since the 1988 Olympics, the library signals the beginning of a new chapter in the life of the city, one centered on the creation and innovation of knowledge and culture, rather than the consumption of it. The new building provides spaces for all types of people and activities—for social interaction and exchange, for studying and learning, for quiet and introspection—championing the unique civic function that libraries provide today.

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New Central Library Street View — Gateway to East Village Gently terraced slopes rise up to the heart of the building, allowing for people arriving from every direction to interact with the library.

Calgary Central Library Exterior — Making room for transit The building is sited within a complex urban condition, where an operational transit line crosses the site from above to below ground on a curved half-moon path, dividing Downtown and East Village.

new calgaryl library exterior corner — Inviting Space The dynamic façade is composed of a modular, hexagonal pattern that expresses the library’s aims to provide a space that invites in and embraces all visitors.

Calgary Central Library Sunset — Local influence Inspired by the nearby foothills, the site is transformed into a terraced topography that rises up and over the existing Light Rail Transit line crossing the site.

new central library arch — Inspired by the sky The entry, framed by the wood-clad arches that reference the ‘chinook’ arch cloud formations common to Alberta.

Calgary Central Library entrance — Painting with light Visitors encounter a lobby with a sky-lit atrium offering clear visibility of the library’s public program.

Calgary Central Library 4th floor — Bright light The unique hexagonal geometry of the façade balances the distribution of clear and fritted glass openings to control desired daylight levels for the broad variety of interior experiences.

Calgary Central Library People — Form meets function The design realizes the vision for a technologically advanced public space for innovation, research and collaboration.

New Central Library Stacks — From fun to serious The library program locates lively public activities on the lower floors, gradually transitioning to quieter, focused study areas on the upper levels.

Meet The Team

See more team members

"Calgarians wanted a place to be inspired by and to innovate in. This vision has been a driving force for the team throughout the design and construction of this library."

Rob Adamson, Principal

Calgary Central Library — An early design sketch
A pattern emerges Early concepts of the building's dynamic façade. Photo credit: Snohetta

How we got here 01

Shapes scatter

Early concepts of the building's dynamic facade.

How we got here 02

Exterior artboard

The connectivity around and across the site is part of the civic centre, engaging the Municipal Building, the library and extending up and through the library to engage with East Village.

How we got here 03

View from above

Early design of the library's atrium, serving as an orientation device for people to quickly grasp the circulation and organizational logic of the library.