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Bing Thom of Bing Thom Architects, left, and Beth Barlow, chief librarian of Surrey Libraries, were all smiles Tuesday as they proudly gave media a first sneak peak at the new
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architecturally stunning City Centre Library, set to open in late August. See photo gallery and video of the new library online at thenownewspaper.com. (Photo: AMY REID)
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A library like no other Inside Tom Zillich talks to the infamous Red Green. 15
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SURREY – Libraries are no longer stuffy places for just storing books. Surrey’s new City Centre Library, an edgy edifice designed by architect Bing Thom and his design team, is a bright and friendly space that doubles as a community centre where, in addition to checking out books, people can drop by to relax and have fun. “Libraries are no longer a place just to store books,” Thom said Tuesday in an interview at the library. “We wanted a whole different approach towards the library to make it more like a community centre.” Thom and his associates were at the new $30-million library in Whalley to give the media a sneak peak at his
stunning creation before it opens to the public later this month. With its sleek, curvy lines, the library looks like a stylish cruise ship on the outside. SEE VIDEO, PHOTOS ONLINE Inside, the look is futuristic. The soft flowing curves continue in the spirals of the ascending floors above the spacious open lobby. The expanse of windows on the library’s east side offers views of the city’s emerging skyline. Nearly all the surfaces are white, which serve as a crisp canvas for the all books, computers and activity within its confines. “You’re visually teased to explore,” Thom said. He likened the oculus, an oval
skylight in the centre of the structure, to a sundial. “As the sun moves around, the shadow patterns continually change,” he noted. Thom believes the library’s design captures a feeling of openness, and a sense of sanctuary – “a sense of quiet calm yet there is subliminal excitement but the excitement is not overwhelming.” see BING THOM’S › page 4
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With its sleek, curvy lines, Bing Thom’s latest beauty will ‘visually tease’ visitors
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