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New Birmingham library plans

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lets hope so froth..its another flat roof building so i hope this time the planners have taken this into account..the library we have now is a flat roof and in recent years it was not unusual to see buckets dotted here when it leaked..only time will tell...

lyn
 
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Bernie D'Boult said:
If Prince Charles had his way all towns and cities would be preserved in Aspic. Thankfully the City Fathers have over the years seen the need to innovate. Sadly not always does this work but better than living in a buildings museum IMHO.
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Bernie it certainly did not work in the 60's - to me old buildigs seemto 'weather' better with time, the Museum and Art Gallery for example whereas concrete seems to become grubby with time, perhaps I'm biased as a painter, but the new Library is anything but 'painterly' to me. Eric
 
One could say though, Eric, that it is probably "painterly" to those who consider pickled sharks and random paint splodges as worth decorating your home with
 
I did not think of barbed wire...but I suppose...anyway, what came to mind was decorative wrapping around a Christmas (holiday season) present. Unfortunately it does not come off on the morning thereof. I think the climbing remark is right on and could become a problem. I presume they have self cleaning windows that were mentioned earlier.Surely it is not that hard to build something nice without the Victorian twaddle on it...please don't tell me that this is it.
 
Rupert, yes they can if they put they put their minds to it. Fountain Court in Steel House Lane is a good example (in my opinion anyway) Eric
 
Morning all, here are a couple more photos,I don't know how they are going to keep the windows clean. the round tower on the top will be sheathed in gold colour material.
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morning john...thats what i thinking...and that metal work will take some looking after..ive not had a close up look myself but was just wondering how much of a gap there is between the windows and metal work..hard to tell from the pic...

lyn
 
crikey john well thats not enough space for the window cleaners cradle to fit in then...maybe they are self cleaning lol

lyn
 
I am with Frothblower on this. I think the building looks amazing especially when you see it in context against the other buildings on foot. I am sure the archives will be a lot safer and stored much better in this building.

Lovely photos John thanks.
 
I saw the new library for the first time when visiting the city last week, i think i like it, i'm sure it will grow on people...
 
Paul Higgins said:
I agree with the consensus. It is horrible. And why does the old ‘new’ library need replacing? There may be an issue of storage space but I suspect the concrete it is built out of is nearing the end of its life. I am sure the people of Birmingham wouldn’t mind the extra cost of a good solid stone building that will stand the test of time and blend in rather than stand out like a shoe-box gone wrong or a half-built greenhouse.
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I only have one picture so I put it here because of the reference to the 'old new library'.
 
Bernie D'Boult said:
Thankfully the City Fathers have over the years seen the need to innovate. Sadly not always does this work but better than living in a buildings museum IMHO.
Click to expand...

Yes but much of the innovation in the 60s and 70s is in itself being knocked down.

And the "ring road" destroyed many fine buildings, and destroyed many areas just outside the ring road (take a trip to the Gun Quarter to see an area "cut off" and stagnated by the ring road).

John Madin (who designed the 70s libary and who died a few weeks ago) has seen a number of the buildings he designed knocked down, and if he had survived another few years he would have seen the 70s library knocked down as well.

Because of this continuous "innovation" Birmingham has a poor reputation for architecture (even though it has many fine buildings) and may never shake of its "concrete city" tag.

Even just a few weeks ago Island House near Moor St, a lovely old building, was knocked down.

There has been some fine buildings built in Birmingham in the last few years, but I am afraid I dont think the "new" library is one of them. A boring set of "square" boxes with a circle on the top, covered by something that looks a mess. This building will look awful in a few years time and will probably last no longer than the 70s library has.

In fact Centenary Square is now a good example of the hotch potch nature of architecture in Birmingham. All those buildings, and all those "clashing" styles, all next to each other (Baskerville House, the "new" library, the Rep, the Convention Centre, the Hyatt hotel and the old bank on the other side of Broad St).

On the other hand Brindley place (the various office blocks round the fountain) is a wonderful example of conflicting styles that still seems to work as a "whole".
 
In NA there is a bad problem of migrating birds crashing into glass sided buildings and killing themselves. Apparently the dead bodies have to be picked up every day at times. Maybe the decoration will stop this...however the decoration will also offer up nesting places for starlings and pigeons. The building will need owls and peregreens.
 
Well Rupert We have no problem with Starlings in Town these days never ever see them.We have Peregrines nesting for several years on the P.O.Tower but these make very little difference to the Pigeon population.Dek
 
I try to be 'modern' in my outlook but have never liked concrete and glass as a building material, it does not seem to weather very well at all, unlike the more traditional brick, stone. marble, slate and teracotta etc... perhaps as a painter i am biased. Eric
 
Today, will post some of these on a 2nd thread.
 

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Hi Great Photo's well done.
Clearly a dramatic building is unfolding before our eyes.
I try to look objectively at things it incorporates a very modern shape
but also has an eastern appearance. In a way it incorporates the various
themes of the City.

Mike Jenks
 
Some shots from May





June

From Cambridge Street (as seen from City Centre Gardens)



Rep from the back
 
Lovely photos Ell. I think I like the exterior, but it's just struck me that from a distance it does tend to look like three stacked boxes covered in heavy duty bubble wrap. Viv.
 
Thanks Viv.

Well it's three levels above the ground floor level. And I believe that it has a basement level as well

Artist's impression (took this early in 2010)



You should see it close up from underneath! Is definetely glass on the ground floor level

 
Viv
I expect that the architects were reminiscing about recent years, this library is like all the goodies in boxes they have got in the affluent years, the last one was the air raid shelter they had to go to at night
 
when i first saw the plans for the new library i did not like the look of it but reserved total judgement..on monday i saw nothing to make me change my views about this monstrosity of a building (just my opinion)..it totally eclipses baskerville house into almost insignificance and the hall of memory does not look to happy either...each to his and her own and all that but it still reminds me of a brillo pad or a pow camp...wonder how long before this one comes down.i am not adverse at all to a mix of old and new buldings sitting together but this just does not do it for me..to my mind a child could have designed it..

lyn

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