One Canadian project made Architectural Digest's most anticipated buildings of 2018
Calgary's $245-million downtown Central Library made the list as one of 2018's 12 most anticipated buildings
What do a Danish power plant, a public library in Calgary and a museum in Qatar have in common?
Other than being man-made structures, all three construction projects earned spots on Architectural Digest's list of the 12 most anticipated buildings of 2018.
The $245-million Central Library in Calgary's East Villageis set to open Nov. 1, 2018, and will offer visitors much more than a good read.
It will offer 30 free meeting rooms,a350-seat performance hall, an Early Learning Centre for children and a space just for teens withvideo, music andgaming stations.
TheCentral Library is a joint design project by international architecture firm Snhetta and DIALOG,a Canadian firm with locations in Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Toronto.
"It's actually a huge achievement to have themworking with us, it's pretty exciting," saysMary Kapusta, communications director for the Calgary Public Library.
"I think what a library means to our community has changed, but this type ofdesignationreally shows that not only is this going to be a huge landmark for Calgary, this is going to be an internationally recognized landmark for Western Canada."
Snhettahas designed several high-profile projects, including the National September11thMemorial Museum Pavilion in New York City and theBibliothecaAlexandrinain Egypt.
Design in mind
Thelibrary entrance will feature a large staircase leading up to an archway and will act as "another gateway into the East Village," one of Calgary's trendiest neighbourhoods.
Kapustasays thenew building will have an open, accessible feel and will feature large windows, naturalwood and a main feature in the roofcalledtheoculusa massive skylight that resembles the human eye.
"As you go up a big flight of stairs, you will be led in to an entrance that is going to have lots of natural light that comes through these amazing windows, windows that almost seem pulled from the shapes ofour logo,"Kapustasaid.
"It's going to be a beautiful building for photos. It's going to be an amazing place to kind of have quiet study. We're all book lovers so we want book lovers to have a great place to research and read."
Part of the city'sLRTtrack now runs underneath the yet-to-be-completed building. Kapustasaid that part of the project was a "huge engineering marvel" becauseencapsulation work to cover thetrain tracks with a tunnelwas ongoing while there was an active train running underneath.
Kapustasaid the library is"being delivered on time and under budget" and will be celebrated with an opening day ceremony onNov. 1.
"Right now we're kind of developing what that opening day ceremony will be looking like, but of course we'll be activating the building through lots of programing. So stay tuned formore information and project updates," she said.
What else made the list?
Italian architectStefanoBoeridesigned the Nanjing Green Towers, a vertical forest with more than 1,000 trees and 2,500 plants.
colori autunnali/autumn colors at #verticalforest #boscoverticale #green #cities pic.twitter.com/yHGxwEQxiD
—@StefanoBoeri
The V&A Museum of Design inDundee,Scotland, reflects amirror image on the River Tay.
Reflection photos: how many is too many?
Jk, you can never have too many! pic.twitter.com/o4jgNzxdAD
—@VADundee
Visit Architectural Digest online for the full list of its12 Most Anticipated Buildings of 2018.
With files from Sarah Lawrynuik