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Upper Riccarton Community and School Library
Douglass-Truth Branch of The Seattle Public Library
Hercules Public Library
Minneapolis Central Library
New York Public Library - Mulberry Street Branch
Nishimachi International School, Yashiro Media Center
San Mateo Public Library
Shunde Library
Whitby Public Library & Civic Square
Idea Store WhitechapelMinneapolis Central Library
A new central library opens its previously closed stacks to literate Minneapolis.
Since 1885, the Minneapolis Central Library has provided ready access to knowledge and information to millions of people, and served as a source of community pride and economic stimulation. Located at the north end of Nicollet Mall, the library is a vital new civic landmark and cultural center for downtown Minneapolis and the region.
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The Minneapolis Central Library is a dynamic, resource-rich downtown destination, conveniently located between Hennepin Avenue, with the arts and theater district to the west, and Nicollet Mall, the backbone of the city’s business and shopping district to the east. These two downtown districts each have their own orthogonal street grid, creating the unique, trapezoidal site for the library when they converge. This shifting urban geometry carries through the massing of the building, with one block following the east grid and the other block following the west grid. The resulting “courtyard” informs the shape of the five-story, glass-enclosed galleria and the sculptured, wing-like roof that spans over the Nicollet and Hennepin entrances.
Minneapolis has the third largest public library collection per capita of any major city in America. Pelli Clarke Pelli’s design for the new Central Library allows nearly 100% of this extensive, 2.4 million-item collection to be accessible to the public, compared to just 15% previously. With raised floors, loft-like spaces and no interior load-bearing walls, the Central Library is designed to accommodate future changes in technology, formats, learning styles and use of the space.
The Children's Library holds the upper Midwest’s largest public library collection of children's books, including materials in more than 30 languages. This space was designed to provide children from birth to 12 with room for exploration and fun, and to help parents, families, teachers and caregivers develop children's love of learning and reading.
The Central Library is designed with daylighting features that promote a healthy building environment. The frit-pattern glazing on the glass walls minimizes solar gain on the east, west and south facades. In addition, an 18,560-square-foot green roof has been incorporated to enhance stormwater management practices and reduce the urban heat island effect.
Formal name of building: Minneapolis Central Library
Location: 300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Completion Date: May 2006
Gross square footage: 365,000 sq.ft.
Total project cost: $138.7 million
Owner: City of Minneapolis
Architect:
Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects
1056 Chapel Street
New Haven, CT 06510
www.pcparch.com
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