Library of Birmingham

Birmingham City Council looked into relocating the library for many years. The original plan was to build a new library in the emerging Eastside district,[9] which had been opened up to the city centre following the demolition of Masshouse Circus.[10] A library was designed by Richard Rogers on a site in the area. However, for financial reasons and reservations about the location this plan was shelved. The Council suggested that the Library be split between a new building built between the Rep Theatre and Baskerville House at Centenary Square, which until 2009 was a public car park (to house the main lending library) and a building at Millennium Point in "Eastside" (to house the archives and special collections).

In August 2006, the Council confirmed the area between the Rep Theatre and Baskerville House as the future site for the library. Capita Symonds had been appointed as Project Managers for the Library of Birmingham. The council's intention was to create a "world class" landmark civic building in Centenary Square.[11] Not long after this, the two-sites idea was scrapped and the archives and special collections will move to the site at Centenary Square.[12][13]

After an international design competition, run by the Royal Institute of British Architects, a shortlist of seven architects was announced on 27 March 2008. They were chosen from a list of over 100 architects. The architects chosen were: Foreign Office Architects, Foster and Partners, Hopkins Architects, Mecanoo, OMA, Schmidt hammer lassen and Wilkinson Eyre.[14]

In early August 2008, Mecanoo and multi-discipline engineers, Buro Happold, were announced as the winner of the design competition.[15] More detailed plans for the library were revealed by the council in conjunction with the architects at a launch event held on 2 April 2009.

The previous Central Library failed for the second time to gain status as a listed building. Work was scheduled to begin on demolishing the old library early in 2015 to make way for the redevelopment of Paradise Circus.[16][17]

Reaction to the planned library was generally positive. Then-Poet Laureate Andrew Motion said that "These plans are properly ambitious to preserve the best traditional practice, while also opening the building to new ideas about what a library should be — the heart of the community, fulfilling all manner of social needs as well as scholarly, research-based and pleasurable ones." Philip Pullman said "The new Library of Birmingham sounds as if it will be lovely and should attract even more users than the present one with its impressive visitor total of 5,000 a day." Sir Alan Ayckbourn said "I wholeheartedly support the proposed exciting new plans to develop the new Birmingham library" and Irvine Welsh said "[It's] an audacious and compelling initiative which promises to redefine and modernise the entire notion of public library services, and in the process create the greatest public information resource in Europe ... Writers will love it, and so will readers."[18] Architect of the Birmingham Central Library, John Madin, criticised the building as not fit for purpose in 2011. Madin said "They are spending all this money on a new library which is no better than the existing one. Eighty per cent of it will not have natural light and does not meet the standards of the existing building."[19] In the first year of opening 2.7 million visitors passed through the doors of the library.[20] In 2015 visitor numbers dropped to 1.8 million visits; this still made the library the 11th most popular visitor attraction in the UK and the most popular outside of London.[21]

The book rotunda from Level 3

Preparation of the ground for building, and archaeological work between Baskerville House and The Rep had begun before planning permission had been granted.[22] Planning permission was finally granted and approved by Birmingham City Council in December 2009. Building work, which was undertaken by Carillion,[23] commenced in January 2010, with a completion schedule for 3 September 2013.[24] A topping out ceremony to mark the completion of the highest part of the building took place on 14 September 2011.[25]

The formal opening on 3 September 2013 was conducted by Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani schoolgirl who survived a Taliban assassination attempt, and who now lives in Birmingham.[26] Before unveiling a plaque, she said "Let us not forget that even one book, one pen, one teacher can change the world".[27]

At the 2014 RIBA West Midlands Awards, the Library of Birmingham was named overall West Midlands building of the year Mecanoo architect Patrick Arends won emerging architect of the year and Birmingham City Council won client of the year.[28]

In the June 2014 birthday honours, the library's director, Brian Gambles, was made MBE "for services to libraries".[29]

On 17 July 2014 the Library of Birmingham was nominated as one of the six short-listed buildings for the 2014 Stirling Prize, awarded for excellence in architecture.

In December 2014 Birmingham City Council proposed reducing the opening hours of the library because of a council funding shortfall,[30] and in February 2015 confirmed opening hours will be reduced from 73 hours per week to 40 hours per week, saving £1.3 million per year on running costs and involving making redundant about half of the 188 library staff.[31] From 20 April 2015 the library will open from 11 am to 7 pm Monday and Tuesday, from 11 am to 5 pm Wednesday to Saturday and close on Sundays.