도시의 다양한 문화와 역사를 투영한 할리팩스 중앙도서관이 새롭게 문을 연다. 도심지 재개발사업의 촉매재 역활 및 다양한 코업 비즈니스 환경 지원을 위한 문화공간 확보는 먼저 도시환경과의 조우를 첫번째 과제로 시작된다. 매력적인 해양유산은 도시의 커다란 자산으로 새로운 도시공용공간에 적용된다. 그리하여 생성된 역사적인 도시축, 할리팩스 성당과 할리팩스 항구가 교차하는 축은 이곳 도서관 대지위에 자리하며 도서관의 사각볼륨을 회전시킨다. 총 4개의 볼륨으로 구성, 1층부터 4층까지의 볼륨은 대지를 따라 배치되며 최상층(5층)에 자리한 할리팩스 리빙룸을 역사적인 축을 따라 배치, 유니크 뷰를 생성한다.
내부 5개층을 브릿지 또는 계단을 통해 연결하는 아트리움을 통해 외관의 다양성은 내부공간에서도 연속된다. 풍부한 채광의 아트리움은 도서관 내부의 조도를 일정히 유지 시켜주는 한편, 다양한 공용공간을 제공한다. 300석 규모의 퍼포먼스 스페이스, 두개의 카페, 게임 스테이션, 뮤직 스튜디오, 성인을 위한 열람실, 원주민 리딩 써클, 지역사업가를 위한 보드룸을 제공한다. 그리고 2층 전체는 아이들, 청소년, 어른들 각 각 그룹을 위한 전용공간으로 제공된다. 모던 하이브리드 도서관을 표방한 공간은 장차 도시의 허브 스페이스로 다양한 문화와 비즈니스 플랜을 제공한다.
reviewed by SJ,오사
As the new Halifax Central Library opens to the public on 13 December 2014, the citizens of Halifax, Canada, have been given a civic landmark which has already received international recognition. The contract to design the 15,000 m2 library was won in an international competition in 2010 by the Danish schmidt hammer lassen architects and local firm Fowler Bauld & Mitchell. Sited on a prominent location in the heart of Halifax, the library stands as a cultural hub accessible to everyone and as a result of what can be achieved through co-creation.
Architects: Schmidt Hammer Lassen
Location: Halifax, NS, Canada
Prime Consultant Architect: Fowler Bauld & Mitchell
Area: 15000.0 sqm
Year: 2014
Photographs: Adam Mørk
Structural: SNC Lavalin Inc., Ove Arup
Mechanical: CBCL Limited, Ove Arup
Electrical: CBCL Limited, Ove Arup
Civil: SNC Lavalin Inc.
Landscape Architect : Gordon Ratcliffe Landscape Architect
Interior: Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects , Fowler Bauld & Mitchell
Public Consultation: Myrgan Inc.
Sustainability: Targeting LEED Gold certification
Acoustics: Swallow Acoustic Consultants Ltd.
Building Code: RJ Bartlett Engineering Ltd.
Curtain Wall: BVDA Façade Engineering Ltd.
Wind & Snow Environmental: Theakston Environmental Consulting Engineers
Theatre Design: Theatre Consulting Group Ltd.
Third Party Commissioning: FC O’Neill Scriven & Assoc. Ltd.
Project Manager : Halifax Regional Municipality
Construction Manager : EllisDon Corporation
Construction Budget: € 33 million excl. VAT
The new Halifax Central Library has an open, welcoming design which reflects the city’s diverse population and heritage. The building is a catalyst for the regeneration of the downtown area and the product of an extensive co-creation process involving monthly public consultations and workshops with various focus groups.
The exterior of the library appears as four rectangular shapes placed on top of one another and horizontally twisted to relate to the two diagonal directions that are dominant in the otherwise orthogonal grid of the city.
“Halifax is a city whose maritime heritage calls for attention when designing a new public building. Therefore, the historical axis between the Halifax Citadel and the Halifax Harbour, crossing right through the library site, is reflected in the orientation of the fifth floor of the building containing the Halifax Living Room hereby providing not only a unique view but also an understanding of the city’s historical heritage,” explains Founding Partner Morten Schmidt of schmidt hammer lassen architects.
The interior of the library reflects the diversity of the exterior with stairs and bridges in the atrium connecting the five storeys. The light-filled atrium gives an overview of the wide range of facilities the library offers, including a 300-seat performance space, two cafés, gaming stations, music studios, dedicated space for adult literacy classes, a First Nations reading circle, and boardrooms for local entrepreneurs. The entire second floor is dedicated to children and young adults with areas designed for each age group, ranging from toddlers to teens.
“The new Halifax Central Library is a modern, hybrid library. It combines the best of a traditional library with new and innovative programmes and facilities,” explains Partner Chris Hardie from schmidt hammer lassen architects. “By designing a library that is adaptable we embrace multiple functions to ensure that the library will meet the needs of the Halifax community into the future. People should see this building not only as a library but as a free public space in the heart of the city.”
On the topic of modern libraries, Morten Schmidt adds: “Modern libraries are one of the most important platforms for exchanging knowledge. As opposed to information found on the internet, the knowledge that arises through collaboration and exchange between people in a library is of particular significance. The new Halifax Central Library is a cultural hub, a vital centre for learning and a civic landmark for the entire community.”
Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects has an extensive track-record of designing libraries; the most renowned of these may be the extension to the Royal Library in Copenhagen, Denmark and the RIBA Award-winning University of Aberdeen New Library in Scotland. Earlier this year, the first library designed by the architectural practice in Canada was opened in Edmonton. In 2015 DOKK1, the new public library in Aarhus, Denmark, will be completed; it will be the largest of its kind in Scandinavia.
from archdaily