Cardiff Central Library

Cardiff Central Library stands in the city centre beside the Hayes and Canal Street, its triangular shape filling part of the old hotel car park. The present building opened in 2009 after nearly two years of construction by more than 1,100 workers. Architects BDP gave it a glass and brass skin that reflects the light, while a living roof of sedum grass keeps the interior cool. Inside, three ground-floor restaurants face Mill Lane, their tables overlooked by the library’s floors above. The building’s climate is controlled by sensors on every level, earning it an excellent green rating. A wide escalator rises from the entrance foyer straight to the second floor, linking all six levels. The library holds 90,000 books, one in ten written in Welsh, plus 10,000 CDs and DVDs arranged along three kilometres of shelving. Above the ground floor, each level has free Wi-Fi and toilets reached by stairs or lifts. The Manic Street Preachers unveiled a plaque quoting their song ‘libraries gave us power’ when the building opened. Nearby, the Old Library from 1882 still stands with its mosaic tiles and stained glass, now home to the Cardiff Story museum. Between these two sites, the Hayes offers a quiet walk past water and greenery. Visitors find quiet reading spaces on every floor, a children’s section on the first level, and a local history room on the third. The brass panels on the rear walls recall the spines of leather-bound books, while the roof garden attracts insects and birds. Tourists use the tourist information point in the Old Library across the way. The building’s energy systems cut water use and heat gain, keeping shelves and readers comfortable year-round.