This week plans for Birmingham’s new ‘super library’ were unveiled at a press conference, making up one of many similar libraries opening throughout the UK. Central library, Birmingham’s public buildings and public money are always big topics for heated debate so I imagine these plans will cause quite a stir in the city. So, before we get ahead of ourselves lets here the facts and figures.
The £193m building will tower over Centenary Square with the capacity to accommodate more than three million visitors a year, according to BCC, which is backing the project with £159m in public funds. The concept has been designed by Dutch architects Mecanoo, which has to beg the question why didnt BCC commission a UK based firm to work on the project?
When the building opens in 2013 (which sounds fairly futuristic, but is actually just around the corner) it will be a glass and steel affair containing books, ‘state of the art’ IT facilities and exhibition spaces. The BFI have recently confirmed that the build will be hosting a ‘Mediatheque’, a specific area within the new library complex where members of the public will have free access the BFI’s national moving images archive collection.
Finally, what will happen Central Library? The current 1974 library building was designed by local architect John Madin and based on the design of Boston’s City Hall. Prince Charles described it as “a place where books are incinerated, not kept”.
English Heritage have advised the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport that Central Library meets the criteria for Grade II listing. The Minister for Culture, Creative Industries and Tourism, Margaret Hodge, will now consider all the evidence and decide whether to grant immunity or to list the building.
Why didn’t BCC appoint a UK based architect? Because it was an international competition, carried out under procurement regulations, and a Dutch company won.
Dont’ get me wrong, I think it would have been wonderful if an Birmingham based company had got it – but they didn’t. But now this (Dutch)firm will open a base in Brum and employ local architects.
And let’s not forget that our local architects, and any UK firms, are free to compete for the contract to design Dutch libraries – or any library or building in any EU country. That’s how the EU works.
Norman Foster and partners is an architecture practice of international reknown – when he designed Hong Kong airport I don’t think we jumped up and down saying “It’s a shame they didn’t use local architects”. When Frank Geary did the Guggenhiem in Bilbao everyone thought it was a coup for Bilbao.
Let’s instead take this as a rallying call for local architects to compete on the world stage – I can’t wait for the day that you report on this blog that some of our fantastic design talent, like Glenn Howells, has won the opportunity to design a major building in a city elsewhere in the world.
The delay to the Central Library listing decision started when Margaret Hodge was reshuffled in October (I think) last year – since then Barbara Follett has been responsible, but no word has been heard.
The new design looks exciting, cycling past the site today I could already imagine it there, bring it on. I especially like the look of the hole in Centenary Square.
As for the old library, I’m too new to Birmingham to remember how it was when that black and white photograph was taken, but it looks far better then, in its austere emptiness than it does now with all the bars and restaurants Etc., but then bleak and austere does it for me and not most folk.
I’m interested to know where Birmingham Rep will visit during its ‘Off site’ period.
Hopefully the Rep will give James a big fat commission to create something at Stan’s new site at A E Harris!
Procurement is the nut to crack now I think. In two ways: how can Birmingham’s creative community contribute their knowledge so that the kind of spaces that would attract them into the new library get created and therefore the right infrastructure gets procured? And how can companies line themselves up as potential suppliers to the city for this and other projects.
The creative community could use the library project to begin a dialogue with procurement. For my part I’m trying to introduce BCC procurement to the wonders of social media to get the conversation started.
Looks nice outside. 20% bigger than old one doesn’t sound like an adequately bigger library to keep up with growth of material we hope to have in it. Main beef is what is happening inside the library. I can see IT can have a big impact to increase accessibility to material, however recent staff cuts, employment freezes and so on in library services are worrying. Librarians, archivists, other library employees are key to making sure the library will work, and equality of access a reality. Also, if fancy IT stuff is not properly implemented, administered, maintained (already computer repairs in central library stretched), then could end up with more problems and less access, and all those fabulous librarians and their specialist knowledge gone.
“Why didn’t BCC appoint a UK based architect?”
Because the current system does not allow employment based on nationality, that would contravene UK and EU laws. If we don’t like that system then we need to change it. I personally agree with it, because the Old Library building, built by a local architect, is one of the most dreadful buildings I have ever seen in my life. Local isn’t always good.
Yeah, looks alright to me. 20% more space doesn’t sound a lot but one of the issues with the current building isn’t really lack of space as such but poor use of space in the design.
As for Rep off-site stuff, I’m under the impression that they’re not actually going off site and will remain open. Apparently they’re convinced there won’t be any sound issues from demolition/construction work, though this may be out of date info.