Central Library celebrates second anniversary and LEED award

CALGARY (660 NEWS) – Today marks a big day for the downtown Central Library of Calgary as it celebrates its second anniversary.

Since its opening on Nov. 1, 2018, Central Library has seen 2.3 million visitors and has been on the receiving end of multiple awards for design and programming.

In addition to celebrating its anniversary, Central Library commemorates its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Gold certification for the design and construction of their building.

“Central Library represents the evolution of libraries as vibrant and inclusive community hubs, and I think Calgarians have embraced the building because it also speaks to the future of Calgary and all the potential our city has,” said Mark Asberg, CEO for Calgary Public Library, in a release.

“Being recognized as a LEED Gold project reflects the hard work of the project team and Calgary’s commitment to thoughtful city planning.”

The structure was built with sustainability and energy-saving methods in mind.

“When we first started this project, our aspiration was to design a building that reflected the importance of sustainability both in its design and operations for years to come,” said Kate Thompson, President & CEO of Calgary Municipal Land Corporation, in a release.

“This certification reinforces the hard work of the project team to meet this goal and a reflection of the importance of investing in public spaces that continue to hold significance as the environment changes around us.”

While the COVID-19 pandemic shut down all locations back in early March, some locations began reopening as of late June. Now, all are back up and running.

“We knew our community needed our locations to reopen, and we’re proud that we reopened quickly and safely to provide much-needed public service. Central Library gave us a special opportunity to utilize its size and ventilation system to provide an optimal location to respond to COVID-19 and safely welcome back Calgarians,” said Asberg in the release.

To help commemorate both their anniversary and the LEED® Gold certification, the library is hosting several online celebrations.

“They’re doing that in a virtual way this year in light of current circumstances as a way to continue to gather people around all of the services that the library provides, but in a slightly different context,” said Claire LePan with the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation.

Be sure to check out ways to celebrate one of Calgary’s must-see locations.