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Cardiff Central Library, The Hayes, Cardiff
A world class library for Cardiff
(Photos © urban75, Aug 2009)
Opened by the Manic Street Preachers in March 2009, Cardiff's impressive new library stands testament to the regeneration of the Welsh capital.
Standing in the heart of Cardiff's busy shopping centre, the £15m library offers 55,000ft of floor space on five floors containing no less than 90,000 books on 3km of shelving.
There's also over 10,000 CDs and DVDs available, with the ultra-modern facility offering two listening hubs and over 90 PCs for public use.
Claimed to be one of Cardiff's most sustainable buildings, the library achieves the highest ratings for sustainable development, energy and water efficient services.
We loved the place - and really liked the exhibits at the end of each bookcase.
The library stands next to the new John Lewis store.
Going up!
One of the many reading areas.
There's some superb views of Cardiff from the upper floors.
The Millennium Stadium in the distance.
Looking down from the top floor - you can see a row of PC terminals along the bottom of the photo.
Looking along The Hayes. Just about dead centre to the left is Spillers record store, while development of the fearsomely massive St Davids Centre 2 continues apace.
Note the grand piano.
Rear of the library.
Specifically designed to be energy-efficient, the building incorporates a groovy sedum grass roof to improve insulation and reduce rainwater run-off, coloured glass panels and solar shading to prevent excessive heat gains, and climate control widgets to keep the place cooler than Brad Pitt's underpants.
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Cardiff Library
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