After careful consideration the Calgary Public Library Board has chosen to select the design team for a landmark central library through a limited international architecture competition.  This approach provides:

• A dynamic, transparent selection process
• Creative and innovative design
• Opportunities for community engagement, including public events
• Enhanced appreciation of the built environment through civic dialogue

While the upfront costs for a limited design competition are somewhat higher than for an open Request for Proposal, the process has clear and significant advantages. The competition aspect attracts the interest of local and international architects who can deliver a remarkable building that meets the expectations of Calgarians and facilitates fund-raising. Construction budgets, functional building requirements, and preliminary designs are identified in the submission, reducing these costs in the final design process.

The new Central Library will be one of the grandest and most important public facilities Calgary will ever build.  The design competition provides another step in taking us from great, to global.