If a hurricane ever happened to hit downtown Calgary, I think I’d rather stand out in the open than hide under the cantilevered main floor of this proposed library design, in case the whole thing fell over. But apocalyptic design flaws aside, this failed proposal for Calgary’s central library is incredibly clever, and I’m slightly sad it isn’t being built.
The competition to design Calgary’s new Central Library was ultimately won by this beautiful glass creation, which really, any city would be lucky to have. But Arch Daily has an in-depth look at the proposal from REX, and I have to say, I’m a little sad that their building will never see the light of day.
The (perfectly stable and safe) rectangular design isn’t completely random — rather, it’s a modular approach and re-think of the library’s use of space, designed by breaking up the library’s components into blocks, and designing the building around them. It’s made so that the most public-facing components of the library straddle the rail links that surround the site.
The entire proposal is on Arch Daily’s site, and it’s definitely worth a read if you’ve ever been curious about the thought process that goes into a proposal for a major public building. Plus, scary cantilevered building. [Arch Daily]