It’s a commonplace complaint among Austinites that their city lacks many of the amenities of a world-class metropolis, such as a full-time symphony orchestra, a major natural history museum, and a zoo that people would travel to visit. This fall, though, the Capital City takes one giant municipal step forward. On October 28 the new Central Library will open on Cesar Chavez Boulevard, overlooking Lady Bird Lake. It is, perhaps, the most significant public building to open in Austin in decades, a state-of-the-art facility complete with a rooftop butterfly garden, a “technology petting zoo,” and an astonishing amount of sunlight (it is, reportedly, the best “day-lighted” library in the world). Here’s an advance look at some of what else you’ll find inside and outside.
The library is on track to achieve Platinum LEED certification.
photograph by Jessica Attie
photograph by Jessica Attie
photograph by Jessica Attie
photograph by Jessica Attie
photograph by Jessica Attie
A 37-foot-tall sculpture, Caw, inspired by Austin’s grackle population, that hangs inside the atrium. 1 “The artist, Christian Moeller, who is originally from Austria, has great respect for the blackbirds of the world, as celebrated in mythology and literature,” says library facilities planner John Gillum. “He felt perhaps we were not sufficiently appreciative of Austin’s native blackbirds.”
photograph by Jessica Attie
An “innovation lounge” that provides public access to a number of specialized tools—3-D printers, Raspberry Pi kits, a computerized sewing machine, and soldering irons, to name a few.
photograph by Jessica Attie
The library will house more than half a million books, with room for more.
