[Surrealplaces]

Cladding going up on east face.

 

[Surrealplaces]

A few more pics...

 

[Always_Biking]

Oh man that building is looking effing hawt!

 

[Marcanadian]

Great timing @Surrealplaces. Keep your eyes peeled on the front page in the coming days.

 

[BKha]

Wow

Updates showing the new library looking amazing right after we hear that INK is going ahead. East Village is rolling in it.

 

[Momin]

Our update on the New Library:

Since identifying a need for a new central library in 2004, the City of Calgary has embraced an array of private and public partners to make the project a reality. That collaborative experience has resulted in a shared vision for what will instantly become one of the most talked-about libraries in Canada when the doors swing open in 2018. The 240,000-square-foot facility won't just be a temple for discovery, education, and social interaction, but a key sign of renewal in the East Village. Calgary Municipal Land Corporation(CMLC), a City of Calgary subsidiary and master developer of this burgeoning neighbourhood, was tasked with implementing the Rivers District Community Revitalization Plan in 2007. In the almost 10 years that have followed, the vision for the East Village has come to life bit by bit. Studio Bell is the latest cultural icon and bold architectural statement to grace the rapidly changing area, and with the New Central Library's three vertical concrete cores having been completed, Calgarians are beginning to understand just how impactful this landmark structure will be.

 

[DiscoStu]

To be honest, I'm not completely blown away by the facade so far...especially in terms of installation quality.

 

[Always_Biking]

To be honest, I'm not completely blown away by the facade so far...especially in terms of installation quality.

The design, or just the quality of installation? I like the design, at least what I've seen of it so far.

 

[DiscoStu]

The design itself is very nice, but in terms of materials and installation, the first impression wasn't necessarily fantastic...at least compared to something like seeing the tiles of NMC or the glass of Brookfield. The panels look a little too spandrelly at the moment.

Obviously that impression can change as the project progresses.

 

[Surrealplaces]

I'm waiting to see how it goes. I was hoping that the panels would be more on the metallic side, and less on the spandrel side, but one thing I have noticed with the spandrel panels is that they give nice reflections from certain angles. On the flip side, aluminium panels which I though would be the case from the rendering, would be very cool.

 

[RyLucky]

From the start, I've been worried that the facade might turn out a bit... nice from afar but far from nice -ish. The main reason for this critique (or at least the anticipation of this critique) is because that is how I felt the first time I saw Ryerson's ILC (also by Snohetta) up close. It's difficult to tell whether the choices of materials and finishes are intentional or even whether they are conscious choices - but I felt Ryerson had a bit of a "bus-stop plexiglass" feel to it. Perhaps there is nothing wrong with that, or perhaps it's even intentional in order to convey playfulness, durability, and public ownership. Ryerson looks great from afar and fits beautifully into its context (as does NCL), but large-scale geometries are not always intended to be seen from a human scale.

That's my read of the issue, anyway. Overall, I think we'll have a beautiful building, inside and out, but it will be one that values abstraction/function/flexibility above detail/structure. Of course, this theory falls apart if this is not the intention. Either way, it's certain to be a local architectural novelty - and I guess I'll wait for the final product before I give my verdict on its aesthetics.

 

[Surrealplaces]

I haven't seen the Ryerson building up close, but I always thought it was metallic paneling...which is what I thought we would get at NCL. I kind of like the spandrel option too though...maybe it's that 'playfulness' Definitely when looking at from a distance, it looks great, and will look really good within its surroundings.

 

[DiscoStu]

I think the one issue with "it will look better from far away than up close" is that because it's in a location surrounded by other similarly sized buildings, the library will not really be something we will typically see from farther away (unlike say a skyscraper). For these types of buildings located in denser pockets, I personally think it's much more important for the design and materials to work on a detail-level, especially considering that this building is meant to be a gathering space.

Only time will tell I guess.

 

[Alex_YYC]

Good point about the building being locked in, because the only place you'll really get a good look at it from a far is on eighth Avenue, and even then it'll be a narrow view tween the St. Louis hotel and the other buildings.
What I am most anxious to see, is the large curve for sod on the west side when looking at it from that angle.

 

[RyLucky]

I think the one issue with "it will look better from far away than up close" is that because it's in a location surrounded by other similarly sized buildings, the library will not really be something we will typically see from farther away (unlike say a skyscraper). For these types of buildings located in denser pockets, I personally think it's much more important for the design and materials to work on a detail-level, especially considering that this building is meant to be a gathering space.

True. Although, it will still define a number of sightlines on 7th ave & 8th ave. One might argue the best viewing will be at 5-500 m?