Vancouver Public Library
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Vancouver Public Library | |
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| Location | Vancouver, British Columbia |
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| Number of branches | 22 |
| Website | http://vpl.ca/ |
Funded by the City of Vancouver, the Vancouver Public Library is the third largest public library system in Canada, with over 395,000 cardholders and more than 8 million item borrowings annually. The central branch opened in downtown Vancouver on May 26, 1995 and cost 106.8 million CAD to build. It currently holds over 1.3 million items.
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[edit] Vancouver Library Square
Consolidating Vancouver's Central Public Library, Federal Office Tower, and retail and service facilities, the Library Square occupies a city block in the eastward expansion of downtown Vancouver. Centered on the block, the library volume is a seven-story rectangular box containing book stacks and services, surrounded by a free-standing, elliptical, colonnaded wall featuring reading and study areas that are accessed by bridges spanning skylit light wells. The library's internal glass facade overlooks an enclosed concourse formed by a second elliptical wall that defines the east side of the site. This generous, glass-roofed concourse serves as an entry foyer to the library and the more lively pedestrian activities at ground level. Public spaces surrounding the library form a continuous piazza with parking located below grade. The building's exterior is often said to resemble a Roman Colosseum.
The Library Square Project was the largest capital project ever undertaken by the City of Vancouver. The decision to build the project came after a favorable public referendum in November 1990. The City then held a design competition to choose a design for the new building. The design by Moshe Safdie was by far the most radical design and yet was the public favourite. The inclusion of the office tower in the design was required in order to pay for it and as part of a deal with the federal government to obtain the land; the federal government has a long term lease on the high rise office tower portion of the project. Construction began in early 1993 and was completed in 1995. The general contractor was PCL Construction. Moshe Safdie had partnered with the local architect Downs/Archambault on this project.
In addition to its function as the central branch of the city's public library system, the one square block project also includes an attached office high-rise, retail shops, restaurants, and underground public parking. The Library building has a rooftop garden designed by Vancouver landscape architect Cornelia Hahn Oberlander. As of 2006 the garden was closed to the public.
[edit] Location
The building is located in the eastern portion of the Vancouver Central Business District. The address of the library is 360 West Georgia Street, and the office tower is addressed at 300 West Georgia Street.
The Square is bordered by Robson Street, Homer Street, West Georgia Street, and Hamilton Street. Across West Georgia Street is Canada Post. Across Hamilton Street is the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Across Homer street is the Centre for Performing Arts (formerly the Ford Centre for Performing Arts) also designed by Moshe Safdie as a complementary building to library square.
[edit] Transportation
There are many local bus routes that route past Library Square including the 5, 6, 8, 15, 17, and 20. (See the List of bus routes in Greater Vancouver)
The two nearest SkyTrain stations are Granville Station and Stadium-Chinatown Station and are each within a few blocks of Library Square.
[edit] Image Gallery
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[edit] Statistics
Library building (including retail, daycare, and parking)
- 9 stories
- 37,000 square metres (398,000 square feet)
- the 1.5 million books, periodicals, and other reference materials are moved through the building by vertical and horizontal conveyors
- 51 km of cable are laid throughout the building, including a fibre optic backbone
- seating capacity: 1200+
- 700+ parking stalls and many bicycle racks
- top 2 floors currently leased by the British Columbia government and scheduled for future library expansion
- approximate cost: CAD $107 million
High-rise
- currently occupied by the Canadian government
- approximate cost: CAD $50 million
[edit] Trivia
- The building has appeared in the movies The 6th Day, Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever, and The Game, as well as in episodes of television series including Battlestar Galactica and Smallville.
- The rooftop garden contained in the original blueprints and shown in postcards and photographs, although shown covered in plantings, was never completed and is only accessable via a wood ladder on the exterior of the building outside the fourth floor.
- Designed by the same architect, the downtown location of the Salt Lake City Public Library has a very similar design. This is clearly apparent in the main foyer and the sweeping outer facade
[edit] External links
- Official web site
- Information and photo gallery at the Canadian Architecture Collection
- CUPE local 391, the union representing the VPL's employees
