IT'S A WORLD OF HAVES AND HAVE NOTS. ONE CITY BUILT A LIBRARY TO ERASE BARRIERS.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE CALGARY MUNICIPAL LAND CORPORATION
As part of an extensive public revitalization plan, government sponsors in Calgary, Alberta, Canada launched the five-year, CA$245 million Calgary New Central Library project. The four-story, 240,000-square-foot (22,297-square-meter) library was designed to provide a striking cultural and architectural landmark—spanning an entire block—that connects an affluent downtown to the developing and long-marginalized East Village neighborhood.
Clad in glass and metal and built to integrate an existing light rail line, the library houses 40 community meeting areas, a café and performance hall, recording studios, children and teen areas and, of course, books—some 450,000 of them. By all measurable accounts, the ROI has been immediate.
The project was completed in September—three months ahead of schedule and CA$10 million under budget. During the first month of operation, after opening in November, the library recorded more than 200,000 visits, 100,000 items checked out and 7,600 new library cards issued. By 2020, Calgary Public Library is projecting 2 million annual visitors, in a town of 1.2 million people.
Yet project partners Calgary Public Library, Calgary Municipal Land Corp. and the city of Calgary stress that the ultimate benefits barometer will be the library's ability to provide a space where residents from all neighborhoods can gather and connect, says Carolyn Haddock, PMP, senior project manager, Calgary Municipal Land Corp., Calgary.
“The library is the last really democratic space in a community,” she says. “It doesn't matter how rich or poor you are or what part of town you come from or what your religion is or how long you've lived here. A facility like this allows everyone to access all the information and services in the same way.”
—Carolyn Haddock, PMP, Calgary Municipal Land Corp., Calgary
MIDDLE GROUND
As part of the goal to create a library that embraces all people, architects Snøhetta and Dialog designed a sweeping entrance in the middle of the building so that it would be easily accessible from all directions.
The team concluded that defining a conventional “front” of the building might have alienated residents from neighborhoods that faced the “back” of the library. “By having a pathway through the building, we have created a building that acts as a bridge and not a roadblock,” says Christopher Monson, PMP, principal, Colliers Project Leaders, Calgary.
—Christopher Monson, PMP, Colliers Project Leaders, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
A TRAIN RUNS THROUGH IT
Having an existing light rail line in the middle of the site proved to be more of an opportunity than an obstacle. While the train ensured reliable access to public transportation to and from the library, it also inspired the team to create an innovative design that allows the rail line to cut through the bottom level.
Executing that design was complex and risky, however, so the project team decided to make the rail line a separate project to ensure precise communication with the rail line owner, Calgary Transit. The team—including Colliers, the primary project management consultant on the project—chose to build a tunnel to encapsulate the rail line. This ensured the train would meet requirements to properly separate the rail line from the library structure.
Train shutdowns were a major concern during construction. So the team negotiated with Calgary Transit to limit construction-related shutdowns to a few weekends only. The team also was responsible for shutdown-related operational costs, such as buses that moved passengers around closed sections of the track, Ms. Haddock says. To reduce the impact on rail operations, the team used pre-built sections of the tunnel during installation, Mr. Monson says. “It was a year of planning meetings for 48 hours of work.”
SOUND DECISIONS
Silence can be golden at libraries. But the massive atrium—with exposed concrete, tile floors and glass and metal walls—created noise and echo risks. So the team hired a specialty acoustic company to find ways to dampen sound with materials that achieved the desired aesthetic, Ms. Haddock says. One solution was to install discreet, sound-absorbing fabric baffles that run parallel to ceiling beams, she says. Wood slats added to the ceiling provided visual appeal and also helped mitigate noise, Mr. Monson says.
FACE VALUE
The library's signature facade—a massive, curved curtain of metal and glass—has varied levels of opacity. This feature allowed the project team to customize the amount of light and privacy inside the building. The team also achieved its goal of delivering a light- and temperature-controlled environment that provided plenty of natural light for reading and working.
The team engaged suppliers early on, in a design-assist role, to help the project managers and architects understand how to design and build the facade within budget. It also sent a sample of the wall to a specialized testing facility in the U.S. state of Florida to ensure it would perform in high winds and rain and under the force of compression. That testing was built into the original budget, Ms. Haddock says.
“We had to understand the risks associated with getting something that is one of a kind and set up the project to succeed even though we weren't getting a tested and true assembly,” Ms. Haddock says.
Beyond Books
2013: Architectural firm Snøhetta and Calgary's Dialog begin design phase.
2014: Initial design presented to community, followed by the schematic design.
2015: Project to incorporate rail line into library project launched and completed.
2016: Concrete core, steel structure and south-facing exterior completed.
2017: Exterior and wood soffit as well as pedestrian tunnel completed.
2018: Project completed in September. Library opened in November.
TALENT SPOTLIGHT
Carolyn Haddock, PMP, senior project manager, Calgary Municipal Land Corp.
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Experience: 20 years
Why did this project have special meaning to you?
It has fulfilled the potential to really change the neighborhood. The neighborhood now is vibrant and full of people coming and going, and it has transformed this part of the city.
What career lesson did you learn on this project?
Having really good project documentation is critical on a very long project. With multiple funding partners and many different stakeholders, having a clear record of the basis for decisions is very important. We had a change of CEO at Calgary Public Library in the middle of the design process. So having really good project records that were easily understood helped with the transition to bring new leadership on board.
What's your next project?
I'm working on a parking structure for the Calgary Parking Authority that could be converted to residential or office space in 10 or 15 years. They recognize that autonomous vehicles will make parking structures obsolete someday.
MATERIAL ISSUES
Natural wood throughout the interior helped the team realize its vision of connecting the inside with the great outdoors. But using so much wood also increased a particular risk: Flames could spread quickly in the event of a fire. So the project team applied a fireproofing agent on each piece of wood before it was sanded, finished and installed. The team also worked with fire safety consultants to model the way the building would react to a fire so it could better plan evacuation routes.
The team met with city inspectors throughout fire-risk planning to ensure there were no delays during permit requests, Ms. Haddock says. “Early engagement [with city inspectors] was really important to allow us to do some creative things in the building.”
—Carolyn Haddock, PMP
COMFORT ZONE
The team budgeted CA$20 million for furniture, fixtures and equipment—but it had to make sure all items met user expectations. So the team brought in library patrons of all ages to test the comfort of chairs and the functionality of tables. Their feedback, gathered via paper questionnaires, helped make final procurement decisions. The team also worked with designers to ensure the library would have loading docks and an elevator that could accommodate delivery of hundreds of furniture items.
“The furniture is a complex part of this project that had to be interwoven into the construction schedule with very little room for schedule variations,” Ms. Haddock says. “Planning, communication and detailed scheduling were critical.” PM