State Library of Queensland

The original State Library building was designed by Robin Gibson and completed in 1988.

This structure was the last building to be finished in the Queensland Cultural Centre precinct in South Bank which includes the Queensland Performing Arts Centre and Queensland Museum.

A design competition was held in 2001 to redevelop the existing buildings.

Architectural practices BVN and Peddle Thorp were the winners.

Their redesign was based around a five-story-wide central atrium which separates the old and new portions of the building.

The existing Queensland State Library was refurbished, reconfigured, and dramatically expanded to form a 25,000 m2 facility, including 20,000 m2 of public open space.

The development acts as a pivotal new precinct address to the Queensland Cultural Centre.

And the design reconciles a public domain with multiple large public institutions and re-establishes access to the ground plane.

This public space is open at all hours and leads to other spaces, consisting of an Indigenous Knowledge Centre, a reception space, auditoriums, exhibition spaces, reading rooms, and decks that extend onto the river.

Completed in 2006, these additions doubled the building size.

The interior features are tough, tactile, and multi-purposed, offering a strong visual connection to the Brisbane River.

The State Library of Queensland is usually a busy place.

But in the Covid era, patronage has plummeted.