New Library Keys Handed Over as Big Move Begins

The construction of the Cardiff's brand new city centre library is now complete and the countdown has begun for the much anticipated opening to the public.

St. David's Partnership - a joint venture between Land Securities and Capital Shopping Centres - have handed over the keys of the library to Cardiff Council who can now begin the mammoth task of completing the fitting out and moving all the books and IT equipment ahead of the opening to the public before Easter.

The library, situated in the city centre overlooking The Hayes and Mill Lane, has been provided as part of landmark £675m, St David's 2 development and was constructed by contractors Laing O'Rourke thanks to £13m funding from St. David's Partnership.

The five-storey library has 55,000 sq feet of floor space not only to provide books and literature, but is truly a 21st century venture with study spaces, reading areas, meeting rooms and the very latest electronic stock management, educational materials, information and multi-media entertainment for all ages.

Norman White, Project Director, said: 'St. David's Partnership is proud to be delivering such an iconic building which can boast state-of-the-art facilities which will be a fantastic resource for the people of South Wales. Situated opposite St. David's 2, we are now looking forward to opening the rest of the development in autumn and completing the transformation of the city.'

Designed and built to a high specification, the library is the only city centre building to have a BREEAM ecological rating of excellent at design stage thanks to its range of sustainable features to maximise natural light and heat to keep energy consumption down - including the latest energy saving lighting motion day and night lighting level motion detectors, a controlled water system and sustainable materials throughout.

The building has been completed with a sedum grass roof which will provide insulation in the winter, minimises heat loss in the summer, reduce rainwater runoff and protects the roof from UV light to help extend its life. It also assists in the removal of CO2 and other pollutants from the air in the city centre.

During construction, designers consulted with access groups the Cardiff Institute for the Blind to create a way finding system within the library. Contemporary coastal artwork has been created by artist Neil Canning for each floor of the library and will also be featured on stand alone reading and workstation pods.

Cardiff Council leader Rodney Berman said: 'Whilst the former Central Library had to be demolished in preparation for St David's 2, it is abundantly clear that St David's Partnership have provided us with something far in excess of a like-for-like replacement. The new library is a truly stunning building for Cardiff and a genuine world-class facility.

'This building will be leading the way in education and leisure, but its pioneering environmental architecture is an excellent example of helping to creating a sustainable structure for the city that will serve as a flagship community resource.

'The new library is something very special and will be recognised by the people of Cardiff as a landmark facility for all ages and groups - a real signature building for the city and an exciting venue for all those who will use it.'

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