On Saturday and Sunday evenings the exterior facade of the Library of Birmingham will take on a fireworks effect as the library celebrates its 10th anniversary.

The Library of Birmingham, with its ultra-modern exterior design, opened on 3 September 2013 at a reported cost of almost £190 million.

It replaced the landmark ‘inverted ziggurat’ Birmingham Central Library, an outstanding example of post war civic architecture that had provided a powerful presence in Chamberlain Square since 1973. Designed by renowned architect John Madin, in consultation with the City Architect of Birmingham, JA Maudsley, it was controversially demolished to make way for the redevelopment of Paradise Circus.

The new library, which was seen as a flagship project for the redevelopment of the city centre, connects to the neighbouring Birmingham Repertory Theatre, with which it shares some facilities. It has previously been described as the largest public library in the UK, as well as the largest public cultural space in Europe, and attracted more than 2.4 million visitors in its first full year in 2014.

The Library of Birmingham, which stands 200 feet tall, has a floor area of more than 20,000 square metres, with an additional space of almost 7,000 square metres shared with The Rep.

The public facility was formally opened 10 years ago by Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani schoolgirl who survived a Taliban assassination attempt before being brought to Birmingham for life-saving treatment.