NEW LIBRARY 14 YEARS IN THE MAKING

Planning for the new Central Library began in 2004, but workers didn’t break ground on the project until a decade later.

The entire project cost $245 million and included $175 million in contributions from the city and another $70 million from the Calgary Municipal Land Corp.

Architects Snohetta and Calgary-based Dialog earned a spot on Architectural Digest’s 12 most anticipated buildings of the year with the East Village project.

The bright, four-storey, 240,000-square-foot building was constructed atop more than 150 metres of a CTrain line, which was a first for Calgary downtown development and engineering.

Around 170 bent red cedar panels will serve as the entryway to the building, for Calgary Public Library’s 670,000 current cardholders and visitors.

The new Central Library, at 800 3rd Street S.E., opens Thursday. Calgary Transit will be offering free city-wide rides from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday to celebrate.

BY THE NUMBERS:

The collection: More than 500,000 items available through your library card Public transit: 150 metres of LRT track encased in concrete

Planning: Started in 2004 Cost: $245 million

Size: 240,000 square feet Construction: Began in 2014, took workers 40,000 hours to complete

The entry archway: About 170 wooden red cedar panels Visitors: More than seven million visitors every year and 670,000 active cardholders across all branches.