VISION Issue 29 | Page 10

VISION 29—INTERSTELLAR It’s a design open to wide and multiple interpretations which is certainly a deft touch. That expressive glazing with various parabolas and faceting contributes to quite a jewel-like quality. That’s right, the glazing has a very crystalline, jewel-esque quality. That’s highlighted by the polished stainless steel on the leading edge of the glazing. This sits well with the eroded glass, reinforced concrete skin that reveals the magnificent crystalline, stepped arrangement that mimics the entrance to the cave if you like. How important is it for architecture to be invitational and have drawing power? It’s obviously important for a library to have a certain magnetism. All civic buildings used by the public should have a degree of openness to interpretation. ARM enjoys civic architecture, specifically because a wide range of people will use it and interpret its meaning. It’s our core business and the GLHC is already an important part of this community. It gives to the community, and good buildings or great buildings in this case, are open to people to comment on, both positively and negatively. Overwhelmingly we’ve been supported. It has come from all over, which is outstanding for a civic building, because we’re on record for saying architecture is there to polarize people. Right Rising behind the Victorian-era sobriety of the city’s art gallery, the library speaks of a new vernacular fully open to the parkland and street-front. 10