Photo by Pragnesh Parikh, OMA/LMN The Seattle Central Library stands near completion, viewed from the northeast corner of Fifth Avenue and Spring Street.

Central library fast facts

Location: 1000 Fourth Ave., Seattle Total cost: $165.5 million (includes Temporary Central Library) Size: 363,000 square feet, plus a 49,000-square-foot parking garage Opening: May 23

Project team

Owner: Seattle Public Library Development manager: The Seneca Group, Seattle Architects: Office for Modern Architecture, Rotterdam, Netherlands; in joint venture with LMN Architects, Seattle General contractor: Hoffman Construction Co., Seattle Structural engineer: Magnusson Klemencic Associates, Seattle; with Arup, Los Angeles and London Mechanical/electrical engineer: Arup, Los Angeles and London Civil engineer: Magnusson Klemencic Associates, Seattle Geotechnical engineer: Hart Crowser, Seattle Acoustical engineer: Michael R. Yantis Associates, Seattle Steel erection: The Erection Co., Arlington Cost estimation: Davis Langdon Adamson, Seattle Landscape architecture: Inside/Outside, Amsterdam, Netherlands; Jones & Jones, Seattle Interior design: OMA/LMN joint venture; Inside/Outside, Amsterdam, Netherlands Graphics: Bruce Mau Design, Toronto Lighting: Kugler Tillotson Associates, New York Life safety: Pielow Fair Associates, Seattle Information technology consultant: Sparling, Seattle ADA: McGuire Associates, Newburgh, N.Y.

"Do we really need libraries anymore?"
Yes! The online universe has created new opportunities and new demand
By MICHAEL EISENBERG,
UW Information School


"Welcome to Rem's House of Style"
The new central library is the stylish centerpiece of Seattle Public Library's $196.4 million “Libraries for All” program.
By JOURNAL STAFF


"Nuts and bolts shape the library's unique design"
‘Tailored' platforms lend flexibility without losing function or identity
By JOSHUA RAMUS and SAM MILLER,
Special to the Journal


"Divining the cost of an oddball building"
One-of-a-kind design left estimators with their work cut out for them
By DAVID HUDD,
David Langdon Adamson

"Intuitive design yields unlikely results"
Why the central library's crooked columns aren't just for show
By DEREK M. BEAMAN,
Magnusson Klemencic Associates


"Library's tech system is also daring and elegant"
Fiber-optic cable links Seattle libraries to each other and the world
By SCOTT ROBERTS and NATHAN LARMORE,
Sparling


"Libraries: the next must-have amenity"
From San Diego to Nashville, central libraries are the civic project du jour
By JON SILVER,
Journal Staff Reporter


"Dozens of library projects on tap for Seattle, King County"
As Seattle Public Library puts the finishing touches on the centerpiece of its $196.4 million “Libraries for All” capital program, the King County Library System is gearing up for a big capital program of its own.
By JOURNAL STAFF

"Living rooms for urban neighborhoods"
Two Seattle libraries bring new amenities to underserved communities
By BRAD MILLER,
Miller Hayashi Architects


"Neighborhood libraries get big-city treatment"
Yesterday's central-library innovations are appearing in today's local branches
By PAUL ANSEEUW,
Keen Engineering


"College libraries cater to widening needs"
Changing technology and new amenities are driving design
By KACEY JURGENS,
Thomas Hacker Architects


"Library lights lift a heavy load"
Wide open spaces mean fixtures aren't just for light anymore
By MARY CLAIRE FRAZIER,
Candela