New chapter as City Library set for €300m upgrade

PLANS for a new city library are being lodged with Cork City Council today as part of a larger development on Grand Parade.

The mixed community, retail, commercial and residential scheme will also include a Cork Hall of Fame, part of a permanent exhibition space on the newly revamped Grand Parade.

Developers, Frinailla, are behind the €300 million scheme which they say will act as a catalyst for the regeneration of the street, one of Cork’s widest boulevards.

Designed by architects O’Riordan Staehli and Associates, the proposed development will be anchored by the new and expanded City Library.

This will cover an area of 5,640m2 over five floors and will be twice the size of the present library.

And the emphasis will change too: while continuing to be a book depository, the new library will have increased input into the civic and cultural life of the city.

It will provide space for the arts, adult learning, support training and leisure pursuits. It will also provide flexible community meeting spaces and a multi-purpose auditorium.

The facade of the old 1930s building, described as Hiberno-Celtic, will remain and be integrated into the sheeted glass exterior of its five-storey replacement.

The new building will be cost-neutral to Cork City Council as part of a deal worked out with Frinailla, following a tender competition.

They have swapped the existing library site for the state-of-the-art building, and the facility will also be re-housed by the developers while work is in progress.

Part of the existing library site which isn’t used for the new library will be given to Frinailla.

Described as a quality landmark building by its developers, it will have natural ventilation, solar energy and rainwater harvesting.

It will follow the design guidelines of being “open, flexible and innovative.”

The second community offering in the overall scheme is the provision of a permanent exhibition, the Cork Hall of Fame. Aimed at being a tourist attraction, its remit is to highlight the individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the city.

The commercial core of the development will run from Grand Parade to South Main Street and will be accessible from both sides as well as from the City Library, Kift’s Lane and Old Post Office Lane.

The primary facade will sit between the two existing bow-fronted buildings on Grand Parade and will replace the Grand Parade Hotel and FML buildings.