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The exterior of Austin’s new 198,000-square-foot Central Library, as seen from the “butterfly bridge” spanning Shoal Creek. -
Detail of a metal shade that hangs outside east-facing windows on the third and fourth floors. The word “Library” is meant to be readable from outside the library. Everything else – a treasure trove of quotes about libraries, reading, and learning from sources as diverse as Lady Bird Johnson and Peanuts – is meant to be read from inside the building. -
The bicycle corral was designed to encourage people to visit the library using modes of transportation other than cars. It has space for 200 bikes (that’s the same number of vehicles as the underground garage has for cars), and it comes with its own bicycle concierge, who can take care of minor repairs while you’re inside the library. -
Entering from Second Street, patrons will find themselves in the information and checkout area. This view shows one of the staircases that traverse the library’s six-story atrium. -
One of the ideas driving the design of this “library of the future” is that it’s a social space, a gathering place, so each floor contains multiple areas for patrons to interact. -
Just inside the library’s east entrance, facing Shoal Creek, is a tiered seating area for lectures, readings, and cooking demonstrations. -
On a third-floor landing of the atrium staircase, one can see the information/checkout area down on the second floor and part of the teen reading area, which also includes space for collaborative learning. -
Outside the third-floor children’s section, with its circular design motif. -
Inside the children’s section, with more circles – here used in the light fixtures and furniture. -
Lake|Flato, one of the architectural firms that designed the library, is all about the porch – that space that allows for a connection between a built space and the environment. Both the third floor and fourth floor have screened-in porches so kids and adults can enjoy their books in the Austin air. -
Another part of one of the library porches. -
The children’s section has a Creative Commons, a collaborative learning area. -
More examples of the library’s spaces for social interaction and collaborative work. -
Tech access is a major part of the new Central . In addition to the banks of large-screen computers seen here, the library has 150 portable devices (Macbooks, iPads, Chromebooks, etc.) that patrons can check out themselves for use inside the building. -
Another view of the atrium – visible to the right is a portion of CAW, a 37-foot clocklike kinetic sculpture by European artist Christian Moeller that was inspired by grackles. -
Another reading porch, this one overlooking Cesar Chavez Street and Lady Bird Lake. -
View from the fourth floor, looking down into the atrium, which allows natural light to filter down from skylights and clerestories and illuminate large areas of each floor. The system provides 80% of the light in the building during the day, making this the most daylit library in the U.S. -
The fifth-floor Technology Petting Zoo allows patrons to not just see but also play around with the latest gadgets. Here, a visitor tries out a virtual reality device. -
The rooftop garden on the sixth floor hosts native plants, a live lacey oak, and butterfly habitat. Much of it is shaded by a 200kV Photovoltaic array of solar panels. -
The rooftop garden on the sixth floor hosts native plants, a live lacey oak, and butterfly habitat. Much of it is shaded by a 200kV Photovoltaic array of solar panels. -
The rooftop garden is open to the east and south, offering striking views of Downtown and Lady Bird Lake. -
The rooftop garden is open to the east and south, offering striking views of Downtown and Lady Bird Lake. -
View from the sixth floor into the atrium. In addition to the staircases that cut through the immensity of the open space, angled bridges also cross the atrium, and the combination is reminiscent of Hogwarts’ shifting stairways. -
The new Central has been designed for maximum flexibility, some of which comes in the form of shelving on movable shelves. If materials turn out to be better suited to one area than another, they can be easily relocated. -
A widespread concern about the “library of the future” was that it would be doing away with books in favor of digital and electronic texts. Actually, the new Central will hold a half-million printed volumes – that’s 200,000 more than the old John Henry Faulk Central Library held – and is designed to contain another 150,000. -
Just as each floor contains a variety of specialized areas – the children’ section, the teen section, the section dedicated to work by Austin musicians, authors, and filmmakers – each floor has different design schemes and styles of furniture. -
The days of waiting for a librarian to stamp your book with the return date before you can leave may be behind us. Following the lead of modern grocery stores, the new library has added self-checkout devices where you do the work. -
On the third floor, looking at the atrium staircase toward the information/checkout area on the second floor. -
The second-floor art gallery, which will be curated by library staff and the Library Foundation. -
The “library of the future” contains book drops for the 21st century, located inside and outside the building. -
The exterior of Austin’s new Central Library, as seen from Shoal Creek near Cesar Chavez Street.
Austin’s New Central Library
