Our online forms and systems

Some of our forms and systems will be offline between 7:00pm on Monday 18 March and 7:00am on Tuesday 19 March. Forms or payments submitted or made by phone after 8:30pm may not be received. We are sorry for any inconvenience.

Designing the Library

The design team was led by Mecanoo, a Netherlands-based architectural practice which has won many awards and accolades for their stunning and innovative work. Mecanoo were appointed to design the Library of Birmingham in 2008 following a rigorous selection process.

The design team also included Birmingham-based engineers Buro Happold and design co-ordinators Davis Langdon Schumann Smith.

Inspiration behind the Library of Birmingham design

Architect Francine Houben, Mecanoo’s Founding Partner, describes her design for the Library of Birmingham as the ‘People’s Palace’ and says her design was ‘inspired by the energy of this great city. I hope that the adventure of going through the building will draw many more people towards the joy of learning and reading, and even just to simply experience the pleasure of social interaction that a great public space can provide.’

Francine Houben of Mecanoo talks about the thinking behind her design for the Library of Birmingham.

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