Vancouver Public Library - Central Branch

note: I didn't use a filter on this shot. The gradient is from my truck windshield because I was stopped at a light when I shot this image.

Fast Facts about the Central Branch

* In 1991, 300 West Georgia was selected as the site of the new Central Library.
* Excavation began at the Library Square site in January 1993.
* It took 26 months to complete the project.
* The Central Library opened officially on May 26, 1995.
* The structure is a rectangle within an ellipse.
* The library building has 9 floors, 7 of which are occupied by the library. Levels 8 and 9 will be leased by the Provincial Government for 20 years. This allows for further expansion of the library.
* The library building is 37,000 square meters (398,000 square feet) of which 32,500 square meters (349,100 square feet) are occupied by the library.
* Books and materials are moved through the building by vertical and horizontal conveyors provided by Translogic.
* 51 kilometers of cable were laid in the library, including a vertical fibre-optic backbone.
* There are 35 concrete columns per floor.
* The seating capacity of the new library is 1,200.
* There are 700+ parking stalls; bicycle racks are available around Library Square.
* The total number of truckloads of material moved from the old Central Branch to the new Central Branch: 600.
* The first book to arrive at the new library: the World Bibliography of Bibliographies.