Dear Sir, The new Birmingham library would be mostly made of glass. How would a glass building be cooled and heated in an energy-efficient way?
I understand the ICC has proved a long term drain on the city’s budgets because it was designed in a way that made it very expensive to heat (imitating American malls where energy is much cheaper).
A library needs lots of natural light for reading books, but much lower light levels for computers. It needs to keep stable temperatures and be well ventilated.
I think the site is exposed to strong westerly winds, so a roof garden is impractical. The front faces south and could overheat.
With climate change and peak oil (plus recession) I cannot understand how this design got approved. It makes a mockery of the Council’s interest in sustainability. As for the design, it looks even more like a place where books are incinerated not kept, as Prince Charles apparently said about the current library.
Rianne ten Veen
Minster Drive
Birmingham
