Central Library Halifax, Nova Scotia cultural building, Canadian design project news, property image

Halifax Library, Nova Scotia

Central Library Halifax, Canada design by Schmidt Hammer Lassen / Fowler Bauld & Mitchell: Architecture Information.

post updated February 19, 2026

Design: Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects (shla)

New Central Library to become an accessible cultural landmark for Halifax, Canada

Central Library Building in Halifax

image courtesy of architects practice

April 1, 2010

Central Library Halifax

In collaboration with the Canadian architectural practice Fowler Bauld & Mitchell, schmidt hammer lassen architects has won the competition to design a 45 million Canadian dollars (€ 33 million) Central Library in the Canadian port city of Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Halifax Regional Municipality received 13 submissions from internationally renowned firms such as HOK Architects/Lydon Lynch Architects; Moriyama & Teshima Architects/Barrie & Langille Architects, and Shore Tilbe Irwin & Partners/John K. Dobbs and Associates.

The new Central Library located across the road from the existing library from 1951 will be built on a site occupying the corner of Spring Garden Road and Queen Street in Halifax downtown retail district. Compared to the existing library, the new 11,000m2 library will accommodate more books, more users, more computers and more public spaces.

“The new Central Library will become a cultural landmark for Halifax,” said partner Morten Schmidt from schmidt hammer lassen architects and he continued: “The site holds a great potential and we look forward to collaborating with all the people involved in the future process. We appreciate the extensive work which has been done before the design process begins and look forward to designing a building which will meet the requirements of a library for the future.”

schmidt hammer lassen architects has designed libraries internationally, such as the extension to the Royal Library in Copenhagen Denmark; the Halmstad and Växjö Libraries in Sweden; the University of Aberdeen New Library in Scotland, and the coming Urban Mediaspace in Aarhus, Denmark which will be the largest library in Scandinavia.

Central Library Halifax – Building Information

Client: Halifax Regional Board and Halifax Regional Municipality
Area: 11,000m2 with 700m2 retail
Construction sum: € 33 million excl. VAT
Competition: 2009-10, 1st prize in a restricted international competition

Schmidt Hammer Lassen – Copenhagen architectural studio

New Halifax Library Building design by Schmidt Hammer Lassen architects, Denmark

Location: Central Library, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, North America

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