Comments on: Central Library, why not knock down everything else instead?

By: Birmingham Central Library and the inverted ziggurat « Philip Parkin

Birmingham Central Library and the inverted ziggurat « Philip Parkin — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 13:09:43 +0000

[...] we save the building (and use it as, say, a modern art gallery, as has been suggested), open up the route from the city centre to Centenary Square and build a new library on a separate site? We desperately need a new library but does that mean we [...]

By: The great inverted ziggurat of Birmingham: why is it so misunderstood? « Inversion Layer

Sun, 28 Dec 2008 08:41:31 +0000

[...] would likely be very close to that original design, a suggestion that has already been made by BiNS. An alternative proposal based on keeping the current Library has been suggested by Martin [...]

By: nash

nash — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 13:03:33 +0000

Personally I just love the character and appearance of the library building….it is Birmingham’s equivalent of Festival Hall! All the talk from its detractors about fragmenting east and west always misses out the fact that the ground level was once open to the elements and created a vista through to the other side! It is only the enclosure of the central ground floor space that has created this effect….so I suggest the Council remove these horrible little modern retail units and the problem will solved and the building will have full integrity once more.

By: Regeneration Game | Birmingham: It’s Not Shit

Regeneration Game | Birmingham: It’s Not Shit — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 13:34:28 +0000

[...] potential demolition of things in Brum that we like (not that we’re going quietly over the Library or the Flapper – FB group about to hit 800 people), I thought it would be nice to proffer a few [...]

By: Evita

Evita — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 12:03:52 +0000

Have you all seen the debate on The Stirrer website? Finally someone with a modicum of influence has taken note – all hail Martin Mullaney!

By: “Save the Local Chippy” campaign starts here « The Shouty Villager

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 07:00:45 +0000

[...] might not have any library at all the way things are [...]

By: bounder

bounder — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 11:02:02 +0000

Nervous as I am of crossposting Josh, I've taken your advice. Let's see if anyone reads it over on the Post site (the Lifestyle blog isn't the easiest bit to find).

By: Josh

Josh — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 10:15:20 +0000

Any chance of cross-posting this to a Birmingham Post blog? It’s a fascinating debate and it would be great to get the widest possible attention to both sides – good for the Post too which could be at the heart of this discussion.

By: Josh

Josh — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 10:12:29 +0000

Great article. It’s a plan that could work although persuading anyone influential to listen will be tough. My gut feeling is that this plan would let the Central Library ‘breathe’ and, with some modest maintenance, i could all look pretty good.

It’s an architecturally interesting building, ahead of it’s time – the sort that Birmingham has traditionally flattened before regretting these actions later.

Count me in as a someone who would like to see the building saved. I think there’s more of us that the City thinks but probably not enough to actually see it survive ;-(

By: bounder

bounder — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 08:58:42 +0000

It might be falling apart, Alex but it’s hardly badly designed it’s a wonderful sculptural piece of work as I see it.

It might not fit the definition of today’s library, but it doesn’t have to stay as a library. To demolish would be a wilful act of cultural vandalism.

By: Alex Hughes

Alex Hughes — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 17:16:41 +0000

Noooooo! Don’t give ‘em ideas. The Central Library must go – it’s just awful! Ugly, badly designed, badly built and falling apart. Have you ever tried working in there? The sooner we can get rid of this monstrosity, the better.

By: brenda

brenda — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 14:51:53 +0000

What a great idea.