The Huffington Post Canada: Halifax Library Named In List Of 10 Most Beautiful Libraries On Earth

By Mohamed Omar
September 7, 2016


The Halifax Central Library has landed on a list of the world's 10 most beautiful libraries and we are 100 per cent not surprised.

Just look at it:

Exterior shot of the Halifax Central Library in Halifax, N.S. on Dec. 9, 2015.
 (Photo: Andrew Vaughan/The Canadian Press)

Wired magazine's list, released Tuesday, praised libraries as more than just "singular temples to the written word." They're community centres, concert halls and "works of art in themselves."

Writer Liz Stinson praised how the downtown library's design allows it to "stack, twist, and cantilever to create a stunning building block effect."

The central library placed ninth on Wired's list.

The Halifax Central Library opened its doors to the public on December 13, 2014. (Photo: The Canadian Press)

The building is so gorgeous, in fact, that lead architecture firm Fowler Bauld & Mitchell won a Governor General medal for the library's design, according to CBC News. It was praised for being an "inviting, light and playful public space."

Asa Kachan, head of Halifax Public Libraries, told Metro it's a "thrill" to have the central library honoured.

“To me that’s a great signal to the rest of the country about this city," Kachan said. "About the kind of life and kind of community we like to create here.”

The Halifax Central Library has a green roof that absorbs solar energy. The library also offers electric vehicle charging stations and on-site bike storage in an effort to promote sustainable living. (Photo: The Canadian Press)

The list's top honour went to Denmark's Dokk1 Library, a building with several highlights — including a bell that rings every time a child is born at an adjacent hospital.

Check out Wired's full list here

Source: The Huffington Post Canada