Library of Birmingham

The Library of Birmingham is a public library in Central Birmingham, England. It is in Centenary Square next to the Birmingham Repertory Theatre and Baskerville House. It opened on the 3 September 2013 and cost £8.5 million to build. It has been called the largest public library in the United Kingdom.

Library of Birmingham
General information
Type	Public library
Architectural style	Postmodern High-Tech
Location	Centenary Square
Address	Broad Street
Town or city	Birmingham
Country	United Kingdom
Coordinates	52°28′47″N 1°54′30″W
Elevation	144 m (472 ft) AOD
Construction started	7 January 2010
Completed	April 2013
Opened	3 September 2013 (2013-09-03)
Cost	£188.8 million
Client	Birmingham City Council
Owner	Birmingham City Council
Height	60 metres (200 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	10 (OG) 1 (UG)
Floor area	20,798m2 (plus 6,804m2 shared with the REP)
Design and construction
Architect	Francine Houben
Architecture firm	Mecanoo architecten
Structural engineer	Buro Happold
Services engineer	Buro Happold/Capita
Civil engineer	Buro Happold
Main contractor	Carillion Capita Symonds (Project Managers)
Awards and prizes	Architects' Journal Building of the Year 2013 RIBA West Midlands Regional Awards Building of the Year 2014 2014 Stirling Prize (nominee)
Collection
Items collected	Books, journals, newspapers, magazines, official publications, photographs, BFI Mediatheque, sound and music recordings, maps, postage stamps, prints, drawings, manuscripts and media.
Size	800,000 (Books)
Access and use
Circulation	316,000 (2014)
Other information
Budget	£8.5 million (2015-16)
Director	Brian Gambles
Staff	100 (2015)
Website	www.birmingham.gov.uk/libraryofbirmingham