New $245M central library on schedule and budget

State-of-the art East Village location could see autumn, 2018, opening: official

The team behind the $245-million new central library told city councillors Tuesday the state-ofthe-art building could open ahead of schedule and under budget next year.

While the new landmark, built over a CTrain tunnel in the East Village, was slated to open its doors at the end of 2018, Calgary Municipal Land Corp. president and CEO Michael Brown said the goal is now a September or October 2018 opening.

“We’re very proud of where the project is at from a construction point of view. We have a team that has the right attitude throughout ... the folks that are on site, they’re all committed to doing an amazing job,” said Brown

“It really is going to be an amazing project.”

News of a potential September or October occupancy comes after construction of the new downtown library was said to be about six weeks behind schedule, after crews discovered a defective steel truss last year.

Calgary Municipal Land Corp. is a subsidiary of the city that is overseeing the 240,000-square-foot library, and in a progress update before the city’s community services committee, Brown also said the project could come in under budget.

“Our goal is not to spend the whole $245 (million), we’re looking to come under that,” he told councillors.

The curved landmark designed by renowned international architectural firm Snohetta will boast an auditorium, a vast atrium, 40 spaces that can be booked, a children’s library, a great reading room and a section devoted to local history.

“Our goal is to really activate the heck out of this building and to really give our citizens a great experience,” Calgary Public Library CEO Bill Ptacek said.

“We think that’s what’s going to differentiate it, and make it as special as the architecture warrants.”

The new four-storey building at 3rd Street S.E. and 7th Avenue is the largest public facility built in Calgary since the 1988 Olympics and will replace the hulking concrete main branch along Macleod Trail that was built in phases decades ago.

“We want this to be the poster child for a city investment that’s something everyone in the community can not only be proud of but they can actively use and be engaged with,” Ptacek said.

Mayor Naheed Nenshi said he walks or drives by the building daily, and watching it go up is exciting.

“My favourite four words — and words that we’ve lived by on almost every single capital project since I’ve been mayor — are ‘on time, on budget,’” Nenshi said.