5.15.2020 | DIGS.NET 27
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L E G E N D S | C E N T R A L L I B R A R Y
PHOTOGRAPHS:
COURTESY
OF
SNØHETTA
Beginning with its
winning design entry for
Bibliotheca Alexandrina—
conceived as a revival of
the fabled Great Library
of Alexandria, Egypt, a
city founded by Alexander
the Great and sacked by
Julius Caesar—Norwegian
firm Snøhetta has
completed one significant
cultural project after
another (including the 9/11
Memorial & Museum at
the World Trade Center).
Having looked to the
ancient world to create
one library, Snøhetta,
in collaboration with
DIALOG, looked to the
future to design another,
Calgary's Central Library
in Alberta, Canada.
Designed for a
growing city with
a social-good
focus, Calgary's
award-winning
Central Library is
a contemporary
icon of cultural
design—and a
new blueprint for
a time-honored
typology.
W R I T T E N B Y J E N N T H O R N T O N
Symbol of
Civic Pride
