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Credit: Birmingham City Council
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The facts
Title: Library of Birmingham
Client: Birmingham City Council
Location: Birmingham
Services: Project and Cost
Management
Sector: Public Sector
Contract Type: NEC 3 Contract
Project Value: £193m
Start date: Dec 2007
Completion date: June 2013
The project
Capita Symonds is project and cost manager for the new £193m
Library of Birmingham.
The project is a central part of Birmingham City Council’s
20-year, £17bn ‘Big City Plan’ programme - the most far-reaching
city centre redevelopment project ever undertaken in the UK.
The current building - Birmingham Central Library - opened in
1973 and is the busiest public library in Britain, attracting more
than 1.5 million visitors per year. The design, however, is
inflexible and cannot be easily adapted to keep up with the ever
changing developments in ICT and patterns of use for learning,
information and culture.
Designed by Dutch Architects Mecanoo, the new Library will
comprise of 10 floors, 9 floors above ground and one below ground,
and is expected to attract up to 10,000 visitors per day. The
development will also include a new flexible circa 300 seat studio
theatre which will be shared by both the library and the adjoining
Birmingham Repertory Theatre.
The large entrance canopy welcomes the visitor into the building
which is characterised by circles - an amphitheatre below Centenary
Square, the interior overlapping rotundas and, on the outside, the
delicate filigree circles inspired by the city’s tradition of
craftsmanship and industry.
The amphitheatre in front of the building will create a dramatic
visual link between the Library and Centenary Square at lower
ground level, providing natural light and a sheltered outdoor space
for staging events. The shared entrance to the Library and the
Repertory Theatre will also be sheltered below a public balcony
which will provide an ideal place for watching events in the
Square.
As a centre for knowledge, the new Library will be able to use
the power of information, learning and culture to change people’s
lives, developing their skills, knowledge and potential. For
example, although technology will not replace books and original
materials, the new library will use emerging technologies to make
the wide range of resources and services more accessible, to more
people.
New exhibition galleries will showcase for the first time the
city's outstanding and internationally important archives and
special collections. Treasures include one of the world's largest
Shakespeare libraries, including a rare copy of Shakespeare's First
Folio; the archive of the Matthew Boulton and James Watt steam
engine partnership (an excellent collection of early and fine
printing); and extensive photographic archives, including the work
of Sir Benjamin Stone, Francis Bedford and Francis Frith.
The library will also provide state-of-the-art storage
(including expansion space) for the archives which contain a number
of unique, valuable, and very often fragile items that require
safe, secure and environmentally controlled conditions. The archive
materials date back to the 12th century and include manuscripts,
photographs, letters, diaries, title deeds, estate papers, manorial
records, legal papers, maps, plans, photographs, film, oral history
recordings and digital resources.
Capita Symonds was originally appointed to manage the
preparation of the complex business case for the project in
September 2006, before being selected as project and cost managers
in December 2007. Since then the team has led an international
design team competition that resulted in Mecanoo’s appointment, and
an OJEU selection of the delivery contractor for which Carillion
was selected as successful bidder earlier this year.
Archaeological works on the project commenced in July and
construction is due to begin in early 2010. Completion is scheduled
for mid 2013.
For further information visit www.birmingham.gov.uk/libraryofbirmingham