Birmingham's New Cultural Icon

The library is located at Centenary Square, on the west side of the city center, sandwiched between two open spaces; the building serves as a connection point between these two spaces as well as the two adjacent buildings. Since I am unable to be there in person, I used Google Maps view to guide myself through the site the way a person walking up to the library would. The long narrow Centenary Square allows the building to sit properly in the middle, serving as a focal point for the square and the local surrounding. The first of the rectangular volumes which cantilever of the first floor creates a sheltered space under the entrance that acts as a sort of “pre-entrance” that invites the pedestrians on street level to take a look at what is inside. I imagine the entrance of the library is very popular on rainy days as it serves as a shelter from the elements from above.

The first thing you notice once you see Birmingham’s Central Library is its striking facade made up of tessellated circles of varying sizes and colors, inspired by the city’s metalworking past (Mecanoo). The first layer of black circles, the biggest, is contrasted by the second layer of smaller white circles which in addition to the color-tinted glass add up to create a fascinating facade to look at. The mass of the building is divided into three sections of rectangles stacked up which look like a wedding cake.

The building is topped by two cylindrical volumes, one gold and the other black to match the color scheme set by the facade. The first rectangular bottom cantilevers of the first floor which combined with the glass curtain wall on the first floor give the impression that the building is floating. Interesting choice to have the building mass be tapered down only to have a glass wall on the first floor, which mixes elements of heaviness and lightness within the facade of the building.

Taking a look at the floor plans reveals a closer look at the interior workings of the library. The first floor of the library is mainly composed of the two main auditoriums, the service areas, one small study space which then transitions into the floor below, and a children’s performance space. The main “attraction” inside the library has to be the circular rotunda space within the middle of the floor plan which houses the stairs to the floors above. The atrium has such a command over the space that some elements like the book stack seem to radiate around it, making it appear like the sun when you look at the plans. Transitioning to the next floor (from the “ground floor”) using this main arterial space, you arrive on the second floor which becomes a rectangular volume in plan with the circular atrium near the middle. The library stacks are centralized off of the atrium, and scattered throughout are tables, and to the north of the atrium are conference and study spaces. The first floor also consists of more conference rooms and study spaces concentrated to the bottom left corner of the plan.

Arriving on the third floor using the main arterial space, we see that the circular rotunda has established itself as the focal point of the floor and the surrounding space. The library stacks are again centered around the atrium, with tables sprinkled throughout the floor for the library patrons to use. The third floor also has plenty of single and group study spaces for people to use. 

On the fourth floor, the squared floor plan shrinks, corresponding with the 2nd tiered rectangle volume that you see from the outside. This floor has an outdoor terrace space with gardens that is accessible to the public. There are some stacks and study spaces on the floor, a large open hall, and a technology area. The fifth floor is all about technology, with the whole floor dedicated to computer labs and private and public study spaces. There are no floor plans for the sixth and seventh floor, but from a perspective section, it looks like those floors are mainly used by the library to store the stacks that cannot be exposed to natural light, which corresponds to the golden rectangular volume on the facade that seems to be a wall. From the fifth floor, you take an elevator up to the eighth floor which is accessible to the public. Once again, there is an open-air terrace with gardens for the public to enjoy. The eighth floor also consists of mostly computer labs and study spaces. Culminating atop the three-layered structure is the golden rotunda volume that houses Birmingham’s collection of Shakespeare Memorial Room from 1882, where some of Shakespeare’s most prominent works are closely guarded. The atrium is lit up from above by natural daylight from the glass skylight, uniting the many different volumes into one coherent unit as visitors pass through it. The structure’s many different volumes are united by the atrium which lights up the spaces around it from above by natural daylight from the glass skylight, creating a cultural center for the city of Birmingham.

The Central Library was meant to showcase the rise of Birmingham in prominence as a cultural and economic center in the United Kingdoms and the European Union. The intention behind building such a grand and imposing library near the city center was to create a new “core” for the city where people could go and learn about their city and the world. The city prides itself in its diversity of its people and they wanted the library to serve as a place of gathering for all of its citizens. A library is often seen as a place of knowledge, community, and culture where the citizens come to learn and be informed on a wide variety of topics as well as have access to things like the internet and computers. The Birmingham Library accomplishes these tasks through its ambitious design.

The architects, Mecanoo Architects were chosen from an international design competition that was run by the Royal Institute of British Architects and included competition from OMA, Foster and Partners, and Wilkinson Eyre. Mecanoo’s Founding Partner, architect Francine Houben described the design for the library as the “People’s Palace” and says she was inspired by the energy of the city (Birmingham City Council). In an interview about the process of designing the library, Houben, “hope(s) that it will give identity to the city and even give identity to the people of the city” (BCC Press Office). Houben wanted the design of the library to express these hopes and ideals and further stated that she believed the heart of the city was its library. It can be seen in the design of the library, how it commands the space and serves as a local landmark for the city of Birmingham.

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The end goal of the Birmingham Library was always to create a space that its citizens were proud of and a cultural center they could go-to for any of their needs. The library’s function within the city has changed over time, as they evolve from their original role of book lending to providing internet access, a music library, a community health center, archives, exhibition spaces, auditoriums, cafe, and lounge spaces. The Center Library does all these things and much more helping it with its big task of becoming Birmingham’s new cultural center.