Halifax Central Library

Green
and
new
The Central Library in Halifax was planned and discussed for years and finally opened in 2014. It still looks, feels and even smells new, and is a stunning example of architecture that combines the aesthetically beautiful with the very practical and useful.
The library is much larger than the one if replaced and has five floors, a huge auditorium that seats 300 people, some amazing art and all kinds of practical and modern conveniences. There are also two cafes, one on the bottom floor, and another up on the roof that gives great views of the city. The design of the library features a cool overhang on the fifth floor that looks down on the central plaza.
The library is extremely spacious and has wonderful open staircases that seem to hang in air as well as handicap accessibility. One of the features that the designers gave a lot of thought to is the environmental foot print of the library. They wanted to minimize it as much as possible so all kinds of energy saving features are designed into the library.
A truly amazing library. When we were there is was crowded but the librarians still had time for us and we got a guest pass to access the computers. A library that will serve the city of Halifax for decades and will serve as an example for libraries yet to be built.

I have mixed reviews on this place.
On one hand I hated it, there is not nearly enough books that a library should have. Its floors of white walls and wasted space.
I liked it as a hangout spot. But not as a library.

I love this new library for the most part. It’s so exciting for Halifax to introduce such a big modern building. I love the old and the new of Halifax. I love the outside and the inside. It’s very modern and clean. It’s alot of while and alot of bare spaces. I like it. Cramped, dark libraries will always be around. It’s nice to have a bit of extra space and brightness. The upstairs café is amazing. Oh and the elevators have touch screens! Fun.
The only thing I don’t like is the top floor. The top floor is amazing but its hot as hell in the middle of the day. It’s such an amazing view. I love it. But the room is made of windows and its just so hot.

I realize my opinion is the minority, but truly don’t like this library. First off, I feel the big modern building in the middle of Spring Garden looks strange and doesn’t fit historic Halifax. I guess being someone who loves old architecture, it’s a bit of an eye sore to me. Yes I understand the creativity behind it and all that jazz but this is my review so: P.
On top of that, inside is a bland white barren land with a whole lot of stairs. I don’t even know where to look for what I want and what I normally find on each of the floors is an insane amount of space and not enough books. It’s more like a hangout place than a library. I am sure in many ways that’s great for people but I don’t usually go to the library to hangout, I go to find literature. I also don’t enjoy walking up flights of stairs to simply find a book to read and yes, they do have elevators but I feel like a lazy ass using them.
So that’s my thoughts. Sorry Halifax.