Calgary Central Library

The Calgary Central Library, also known as the Calgary New Central Library, is an under construction public library in Calgary, Alberta that will be part of the Calgary Public Library system when completed in 2018. The four-storey structure is being built in the Downtown East Village neighborhood and will include 240,000sqft of space. The $245 million library will replace the existing central branch in Downtown Calgary, built in 1963 and expanded in 1974.A combined bid from American-Norwegian architecture firm Snøhetta and Canadian firm DIALOG won a design competition held for the project in 2013. Their design features an oval-like form and an interior with a large central atrium with a skylight. The building is elevated one floor above street level to accommodate a light rail trackway below as well as a public plaza.Planning for a new library began in 2004 and was finalized in 2011. Construction began in 2013 with the encapsulation of an existing CTrain light rail tunnel portal; above-ground construction of the library itself began in September 2015.LocationThe Central Library will be located along 3rd Street SE between 7th and 9th avenues in the Downtown East Village neighborhood, adjacent to the Calgary Municipal Building. The CTrain City Hall station is located to the west of the library's northwest corner.