A Dutch architect chosen to design a new £193m Library in Britain's second city Birmingham has promised to build a 'warm and welcoming people's palace', writes the Birmingham Post.
Speaking to the newspaper, founding partner of multi-award-winning firm Mecanoo, Francine Houben said The Birmingham Library, to be built in the city's Centenary Square, would become the social heart of the city. Mecanoo was selected from a shortlist of seven major architects including Sir Norman Foster, the designer of Wembley Stadium and the Gherkin building in the City of London.
About £15m of the cost of building the new library depends upon the current Central Library being demolished and the land sold for redevelopment.
The Central Library, in Paradise Circus, opened in 1973, and is the busiest public library in the UK attracting more than 1.5 million visitors a year.
By staff writer
