The People's Palace

:00:10. > :00:16.People from every walk of life have come in their thousands and from

:00:16. > :00:20.route across this city and beyond. Eight years in the planning, this is

:00:20. > :00:26.an event most communities in Britain can only dream of. I'm here for the

:00:26. > :00:30.opening of a new building in Birmingham. A spe special one at

:00:30. > :00:36.that. -- a very special one. Now, ladies and gentlemen, I will ask

:00:36. > :00:44.Malala to unveil the plaque. APPLAUSE

:00:44. > :00:48.The grand new public library might come as something of a surprise. All

:00:49. > :00:52.around the country budgets are being cut, libraries are closing. Some

:00:52. > :00:56.even say there is no place for libraries in this digital age. Yet

:00:56. > :01:00.here we are, celebrating the opening of a £2 moneyed million building,

:01:00. > :01:06.the largest public library in Europe. -- £200 million. So, if this

:01:06. > :01:12.is anything to go by, maybe the library isn't dead. Maybe the

:01:12. > :01:16.library is being reborn. I'll be exploring the building to

:01:16. > :01:20.find out what a library has to offer in the 21st century. I'll also

:01:20. > :01:24.discover how artists and local people are coming together as a

:01:24. > :01:36.community to celebrate the arrival of this People's Palace.

:01:36. > :01:42.Good morning. Welcome, it's Richard Wilfred at Breakfast, Monday

:01:42. > :01:44.morning, 12th August. You are listening to BBC WM 95. 6, the voice

:01:44. > :02:00.of Birmingham and the Black Country. Back in August, I set off to visit

:02:00. > :02:04.the new Library of Birmingham. This is not a city people associate with

:02:04. > :02:11.attractive architecture. It's been described as a Godless concrete

:02:11. > :02:18.urban hell. So, Birmingham wants to get a new glitzier Iage. The City

:02:18. > :02:22.Council is regenerating the city centre. The new library is part of

:02:22. > :02:35.the massive, monumental rebrand. So, it's goodbye to '60s concrete. And

:02:35. > :02:42.hello to the latest in design. Such as the 2010 Kew building with its

:02:42. > :02:47.jigsaw-like shaped panels. -- Kew building.

:02:47. > :02:51.And this with a surface of aluminium disks, which reminds me of a

:02:51. > :02:55.sequinned boob tube F Birmingham's rent past is anything to go by, the

:02:55. > :03:00.new library promises to be a statement building. I have to be

:03:00. > :03:01.honest, I'm a bit of a fan of post-war architecture, particularly

:03:01. > :03:05.honest, I'm a bit of a fan of of the concrete variety and not a

:03:05. > :03:09.great lover of glitzy iconic buildings but I am ready to be

:03:09. > :03:16.conadviced. Maybe this one will win me over. -- convinced.

:03:16. > :03:21.First impression - oh, no. I think it's quite unique. I quite like it.

:03:21. > :03:25.Not very pleasing on the eye, I don't think.

:03:25. > :03:32.I love T I think it looks really fresh and modern. -- I love it.

:03:32. > :03:36.Crikey, that is one bright building. Not quite sure about the barbed

:03:36. > :03:43.Quire exterior. It looks like it should be in Ikea.

:03:43. > :03:48.It's what I call loud shirt architecture. I like the structure

:03:48. > :03:52.of it. It's really nice. I think it's too busy to look at. There's

:03:52. > :03:57.too much going on. I think it looks like a mosque. I think it will bring

:03:57. > :04:04.style to Birmingham. More buildings should look like that. Fran seen

:04:04. > :04:14.howen from the Dutch architect firm, Mecanoo is the design force behind

:04:14. > :04:19.the building. -- FrancineHouben. How did you get the design? How did

:04:19. > :04:24.it come through? It is a young, city. Many eye indentities. It is

:04:24. > :04:28.colourful. It is made for all these people. Bold and delicate at the

:04:28. > :04:32.same time. It's how we tried to make it. That sounds like the true

:04:32. > :04:35.character of the Brummie. Bold and delicate at the same time. It's a

:04:35. > :04:40.very strange shape. Can you talk me through the different layers? We

:04:40. > :04:47.tried to make it as compact and elegant as possible. It's a kind of

:04:47. > :04:52.dancing with all the different city scenes. Connecting Centenary Square.

:04:52. > :04:54.That's overseeing the city and that is overseeing the region. From

:04:54. > :04:57.there, you see the beautiful hills is overseeing the region. From

:04:57. > :04:59.of Birmingham. What about the circles on the outside? Is that a

:04:59. > :05:07.reference, a local reference? We circles on the outside? Is that a

:05:07. > :05:11.started with this idea, the heritage of the proud city w a steel

:05:11. > :05:16.industry. It is also linking to the 200 years of partnership and

:05:16. > :05:20.bringing unity. It is bringing everybody together. It is why I call

:05:20. > :05:24.it the People's Palace. This isn't just a building designed for the

:05:24. > :05:29.people of Birmingham. Most of the £189 million has come from a loan to

:05:29. > :05:33.be paid back from public coffers. So, is it worth it? I think any

:05:33. > :05:40.investment or money put into libraries at the moment is

:05:40. > :05:45.fantastic. . I find most of the information I need on the internet.

:05:45. > :05:49.I think it is still an important part of the community, getting the

:05:49. > :05:54.community together. At a time of economic austerity, what a billioned

:05:54. > :05:58.step to take. Wonderful stuff. -- what a bold. Do you think they could

:05:58. > :06:04.have done something better with the money. -- I think. The opening still

:06:04. > :06:09.weeks away, the locals still sown have a vague sense of what the

:06:09. > :06:15.library has to offer from the design plans. These reveal a vast 35 square

:06:15. > :06:20.metre space, spread across 10 floors, including cafes, auditorium

:06:20. > :06:25.space and even roof gardens. But I'm lucky enough to be getting a sneak

:06:25. > :06:30.presue inside ahead -- preview inside ahead of the official public

:06:30. > :06:37.opening. So, the building is made like a journey. The whole experience

:06:37. > :06:42.is a journey of learning. It's amazing how the building starts to

:06:42. > :06:48.unfold in front of you, as you come through. Wow. It's maybe the most

:06:48. > :06:53.iconic rotunda. Wow.

:06:53. > :06:57.It's huge, isn't it? You don't get any sense of this space when you are

:06:57. > :07:01.outside. It's striking how different the

:07:01. > :07:05.character of the building is inside. From outside it is very flamboyant.

:07:05. > :07:10.Inside it is quite muted and sober and actually all the energy is in

:07:10. > :07:17.the spaces. What you also see around is the book rotunda, made in a

:07:17. > :07:23.radial system. You are always rotated to the daylight and the pan

:07:23. > :07:29.rammia of the circles and shadows. -- -- panorama. You dented get a

:07:29. > :07:33.sense of enclosure. A library's role has changed so fundamentally. It is

:07:33. > :07:37.a et mooing place, a place to do many things, as well as just read a

:07:37. > :07:42.book. How did you combine those roles in this one building? I think

:07:42. > :07:46.what is nowadays so essential is that there are many ways of studying

:07:46. > :07:52.and learning. A lot of students want to be individual, than be part of a

:07:52. > :07:56.bigger collective. We made all our study places, so you can sit

:07:56. > :08:02.together on the table or have a private room or maybe come here.

:08:02. > :08:09.Wow, look at that, it is huge. You can sit here on this bench. It is

:08:09. > :08:15.very Sid but at the same time dreaming or maybe talking to

:08:15. > :08:20.somebody next to you. -- it is very individual. People are going to fall

:08:20. > :08:24.in love here, maybe Then they can go to the secret garden. For a little

:08:24. > :08:28.tryst. It's not just the inside of the

:08:28. > :08:32.library that offers a new kind of space for local people. The building

:08:32. > :08:39.is helping create a special new distract in the city. A key vision

:08:39. > :08:45.for the new library is that it forms part of a cultural hub. It's flanked

:08:45. > :08:49.on one side by the symphony hall. It shares foyer space and a new theatre

:08:49. > :08:56.space with the repubished re theatre. And a short work away is

:08:56. > :09:00.the old art gallery. -- with the REP Theatre.

:09:00. > :09:06.Knowledge is joined with new shared space. To reflect this a new public

:09:06. > :09:13.art work has been commissioned to the Plaza. It'll depict a real

:09:14. > :09:17.Birmingham family. It is familiar the Turner Prize winning artist, a

:09:17. > :09:23.born and bred Brummie has been working on the project with Icon,

:09:23. > :09:26.the local art gallery. The process to find a family began two years

:09:26. > :09:29.the local art gallery. The process ago, inviting people to nominate

:09:29. > :09:34.themselves with a photo and short family biography. No criteria was

:09:34. > :09:40.set. Single parents, extended families and groups of friends put

:09:40. > :09:44.themselves forward. The idea being to explore what family means in

:09:44. > :09:53.today's world, especially in a city as diverse as Birmingham. From 370

:09:53. > :10:00.nominations, a panel selected the Jones as a winning family. Emma and

:10:00. > :10:05.Rona, two families that have lived here all their lives and are both

:10:05. > :10:09.single parents to young boys. Today they are going to visit the site for

:10:09. > :10:15.the first time with icon gallery creator Stuart towel lock. This is

:10:15. > :10:21.where the statue of you, the Jones' family will be -- Tulloch. It will

:10:21. > :10:25.be similar to a work that Gillian did in 2007 in it will you, on a

:10:25. > :10:31.plinth. Lifesize in a bronze, with a small flak that would be here,

:10:31. > :10:35.describing you as a family. In What will to say on there about us? It'll

:10:35. > :10:39.describe you, for people in future, of actually knowing who you are. And

:10:39. > :10:44.the idea of the project of how to represent the people of Birmingham.

:10:44. > :10:49.Is there any idea of how the statue would be shaped? Like the way we

:10:49. > :10:53.will be standing? That will be from Gillian. Thinking very much and

:10:53. > :10:58.maybe with you, as well, with how you feel comfortable. It'll take

:10:58. > :11:02.several months to complete the sculpture but for the Joneses the

:11:02. > :11:06.reality is already hitting home. We decided to enter the competition

:11:06. > :11:13.because we are a diverse family. Just to show that being a single

:11:13. > :11:18.parent is a positive thing. We both were crying when we found

:11:18. > :11:21.out. We were so emotional. We feel so privileged and honoured for our

:11:21. > :11:25.children, for when they are old enough to understand it more, for

:11:25. > :11:29.them to be proud of themselves, because we are so proud of our

:11:29. > :11:33.family. The real Birmingham family won't go on public display until

:11:33. > :11:36.2014 but in the meantime the library's opening day is

:11:36. > :11:40.fast-approaching and staff are houredly putting in the final books.

:11:40. > :11:44.-- hurriedly. Fay Davis has worked as a librarian

:11:44. > :11:50.in Birmingham for nearly 25 years and is helping oversee the

:11:50. > :11:53.transition to the new building. I hope I'm putting them in the right

:11:53. > :11:57.order. It is very important. Bring them to the front of the shelf. I'm

:11:57. > :12:01.getting it wrong. This is the last crate of books, basically.

:12:02. > :12:06.Absolutely. What a sqlob it has been. -- what a job. Enormous. The

:12:06. > :12:10.move started at the end of May. How many books have you had to move? I

:12:10. > :12:16.knew you were going to ask me that question - an awful lot. That many?

:12:16. > :12:20.Yes. We've had about 1,000 crates a day actually moving out of the

:12:20. > :12:23.central library and into this librariry. Quite a house move --

:12:23. > :12:27.library. Enormous. Sometimes I get the

:12:27. > :12:30.impression in a library that sometimes the books aren't really

:12:30. > :12:33.for you, they are protected behind glass but here they are out there,

:12:33. > :12:39.you feel you can grab anything you want. I'm really pleased you said

:12:39. > :12:43.that. That was one of the fundamental principles behind the

:12:43. > :12:47.way we have structured all of this. It was very much about self-service,

:12:47. > :12:52.being able to feel that everything is accessible, everything is more

:12:52. > :12:56.intuitive than it was in the old central library. Nowadays, lending

:12:56. > :13:00.numbers at libraries are in decline, we can get access to the internet

:13:00. > :13:02.and buy cheap books now. What role is there for a lending library now?

:13:02. > :13:07.I have to be honest, issue figures, is there for a lending library now?

:13:07. > :13:11.as we call them, lending figures, are reducing. We are trying to

:13:11. > :13:17.reverse that. Yes, we have to move along with the times. We also have

:13:17. > :13:21.e-books and access to all sorts of IT and technology but in a lot of

:13:21. > :13:24.ways the book is still very much at the heart of the library. Some

:13:24. > :13:27.people don't like to read kindles. The physical object is what they

:13:27. > :13:30.want to get at. As you have probably seen, as you have been moving around

:13:30. > :13:36.the building today, it is far more than a library, in the traditional

:13:36. > :13:39.sense, most definitely. It really, really will become a really hub of

:13:39. > :13:44.knowledge, of learning and creativity. So the brains of

:13:44. > :13:48.Birmingham. Why not? Birmingham's created some amazing brains. We

:13:48. > :13:52.intend to continue with that. You will need a holiday when you finish

:13:52. > :13:57.building this. When the library opens its doors, 10,000 visitors are

:13:57. > :14:02.expected each day. They won't just come to borrow books. In the

:14:03. > :14:07.archives conserve fors are getting ready to show off some of the

:14:07. > :14:12.library's greatest pressures to the public for the first time.

:14:12. > :14:17.Including a unique collection of 60,000 magic lantern slides, first

:14:17. > :14:21.created for use in Victorian entertainment shows. Once stored

:14:21. > :14:28.away in back rooms, items like this can now be made accessible to all,

:14:28. > :14:33.for a new exhibition space and a speegsly-created digital app. --

:14:33. > :14:36.especially-created. All in all, it is quite a building, from the

:14:36. > :14:39.archives to the beautiful book rotunda, right down to the beautiful

:14:39. > :14:46.roof-top gardens, overlooking the city.

:14:46. > :14:50.To be To be honest, I'm never going to like the outside of this

:14:50. > :14:54.building, it is too brash and glitzy but the interior, what a revelation.

:14:54. > :15:00.It's so generous and accessible and beautifully-made. It's a real Palace

:15:00. > :15:04.of knowledge. And, in this age of austerity and cuts to the public

:15:04. > :15:07.sector, a true contemporary vote of confidence. The very idea of a

:15:07. > :15:15.public building. It maybe unique in Britain, but this

:15:15. > :15:20.library reflects a global trend. It's part of a new breed of

:15:20. > :15:25.so-called superlibrary, designed for the digital age, popping up in

:15:25. > :15:31.cities around the world. The public library in Seattle set

:15:31. > :15:37.the gold standard. I love its jagged shapes and bold presence. China is

:15:37. > :15:42.taking its digital role very seriously. It is designed a bit like

:15:42. > :15:46.a guyant hard drive. In Stuttgart, their new library looks like a kind

:15:46. > :15:51.of glowing fortress of knowledge. I love this one. It's like a great

:15:51. > :15:55.glass pyramid. All the books piled on top of one another like a book

:15:55. > :15:59.mountain. And most, futuristic of all, this one in Perugia. It's like

:15:59. > :16:04.a gayant glass sort of flying saucer.

:16:04. > :16:08.-- giant. Libraries are undergoing something of a revolution in the

:16:08. > :16:13.digital age. But ever since the very first libraries were built, 5,000

:16:13. > :16:20.years ago, they have constantly adapted to changes in our society.

:16:20. > :16:24.In ancient times libraries were revered as temples of knowledge and

:16:24. > :16:30.placed at the heart of the city near the public forum.

:16:30. > :16:35.By the 1700s, libraries were hidden away in grand private houses and

:16:35. > :16:40.palaces, the preserve of the elite, symbolising wealth and privilege.

:16:40. > :16:45.150 years later, free public libraries were born, imposing

:16:45. > :16:50.buildings worthy of their grand ideal, to bestow knowledge on the

:16:50. > :16:55.masses. Before gifg way in the welfare state era -- before giving

:16:55. > :16:59.way. To post-war buildings, speaking a new language of democracy. Now

:16:59. > :17:04.today, there is something of a power battle going on for the very place a

:17:04. > :17:08.library has in our society. Thousands of people across the UK

:17:08. > :17:12.have been protesting about the potential closure of their local

:17:12. > :17:18.library. We would like to protest at the wide-spread cuts to the library

:17:18. > :17:23.service taking place throughout... # We love our local library

:17:23. > :17:26.# We use them every day... # Organisers of the protests say they

:17:26. > :17:31.fear up to 400 will have to close. Council leaders say finding cuts

:17:31. > :17:36.mean keeping libraries open would put other services at risk. I'm

:17:36. > :17:43.makal Rosen, I write books. -- Michael. The very first book I wrote

:17:43. > :17:47.was called -- mind Your Own Business. Michael Rosen has played a

:17:47. > :17:51.key role in the recent Save the Libraries campaign. Does he think

:17:51. > :17:56.superlibraries like Birmingham's are the shape of things to come? I think

:17:56. > :17:59.super-libraries are potentially wonderful. They are very, very

:17:59. > :18:02.exciting places. They can get hundreds of people in them. They can

:18:02. > :18:08.put on shows and create a buzz about books and buzz about knowledge. I

:18:08. > :18:15.guess it's a new kind of municipal pride. Now, there is an element of

:18:15. > :18:21.it that you might say - it's a great big City Council, showing its wares,

:18:21. > :18:28.showing its power. Another way of looking at it is ssh if it cost £200

:18:28. > :18:32.million. What if it had gone into all the local libraries? Would you

:18:32. > :18:37.have 20 or 30 jewels in Birmingham, as eposed to one huge one? What's

:18:37. > :18:39.this ear, don't be cheeky, 6.00 nose.

:18:39. > :18:44.Very good. If I'm in a family and we nose.

:18:44. > :18:48.are think being going to that wonderful library, have a think,

:18:48. > :18:52.paying bus fares and petrol. It'll cost. If I'm in the very mobile,

:18:52. > :18:56.then I will think - maybe it's not worth the faff of going all the way

:18:56. > :19:00.in. So there is going to be various ways in which I'll think - maybe it

:19:00. > :19:04.is not for me. It can't be a substitute for the good, local

:19:04. > :19:08.library with a professional librarian there. It is not a

:19:08. > :19:11.substitute. It is a wonderful add-on, like a huge great treat in

:19:11. > :19:16.that sense for the people of Birmingham. But it can't be a

:19:16. > :19:18.substitute for the local library. Birmingham council has pledged to

:19:18. > :19:22.substitute for the local library. keep all 39 of its branch libraries

:19:22. > :19:26.open but they are facing cuts in hours and budgets. But the opening

:19:26. > :19:32.of the new library has resulted in the complete closure of one very

:19:32. > :19:37.special building. John maid maddin's 1964 central

:19:37. > :19:42.library -- John maddin's. Which, according to the council has fallen

:19:42. > :19:46.into such a bad state of affair, refurbishment wasn't cost effective.

:19:46. > :19:51.The broughtalist building is held up by some as a classic piece of

:19:51. > :19:55.post-war architecture but reviled by others, including Prince Charles,

:19:55. > :19:59.who once described it as a place for incinerating books. Here to capture

:19:59. > :20:03.its last days is Stuart whips, one of four local photographers,

:20:03. > :20:09.documentary different elements of the library move for an upcoming

:20:09. > :20:14.exhibition. -- Stuart Whipps. It is a really important building to me

:20:14. > :20:19.personally but also in how it embodies the boldness of the

:20:19. > :20:23.post-war period. It was the largest city library in Europe when it

:20:23. > :20:28.opened. The footprint it has in the city, all of these things make it a

:20:28. > :20:32.rich site. What were you trying to tease out? Initially just recording

:20:32. > :20:36.the spaces, recording the building as it is, but also to perhaps raus

:20:36. > :20:42.some questions about the decisions that are made -- perhaps raise. In

:20:42. > :20:46.town planning and more widely about what we keep and what we don't. I

:20:46. > :20:50.have small version abouts what the final things will be. They are a bit

:20:50. > :20:54.large. A lovely bit of concrete. I love that. I was keen to try and

:20:54. > :21:00.show some of the core elements of the building. I think this is a

:21:00. > :21:03.pretty iconic shot of the linery. This is where you see perhaps more

:21:03. > :21:10.of how it has been knocked around a bit and some of that vision of what

:21:10. > :21:15.it was, that kind of change. The clarity has gone. All the signage

:21:15. > :21:19.has gone in in different ways. Different managers have come in and

:21:19. > :21:23.knocked it around and so on. I imagine everything what has been put

:21:23. > :21:29.in, since the day it opened, has made it worse. A pot plant!One of

:21:29. > :21:34.the other things I became interested in, was the ways people have tried

:21:34. > :21:40.to soften the building as well. I have this hold serious of yukkas and

:21:40. > :21:50.plants. Trying it make it more friendly. We think of brutal --

:21:50. > :21:53.brutalism. Despite repeated attempts by English

:21:53. > :21:59.Heritage to save the building, it is now set for demolition next year.

:21:59. > :22:03.Will you shed a tear? I will. I think regardless of my attachment to

:22:03. > :22:08.how it looks - I do think it looks great - it would be much nicer if we

:22:08. > :22:12.had these things coexisting, but you can tell that you know this thing

:22:12. > :22:15.happened and these decisions took place and there is a building that

:22:15. > :22:18.happened and these decisions took is an embodiment of that. Birmingham

:22:18. > :22:23.has a history of sometimes being a bit hasty. It demolishes quite

:22:23. > :22:28.willfully, throughout its history, hasn't it? The motto of Birmingham

:22:28. > :22:34.is fjord. Above that motto on the coat of arms is a big hammer. -- is

:22:34. > :22:37.Forward. It is like a Stalinist approach of

:22:37. > :22:40.history, air brushing out the It is like a Stalinist approach of

:22:40. > :22:44.mistakes. When you look at the photographs of Communist Russia. You

:22:44. > :22:47.can always see something is missing and they never feel right. I think

:22:47. > :22:51.it is the same in a city, if you demolish what you consider to be the

:22:51. > :22:55.ills of the past, you always know there is something not quite right.

:22:55. > :23:01.Not all history is being swept away. One special link to the past is

:23:01. > :23:04.being preserved in the new library's golden rotunda.

:23:04. > :23:07.The Shakespeare Memorial Room golden rotunda.

:23:07. > :23:11.been Spain stakingly moved, panel by panel, from the central library

:23:11. > :23:16.which in turn took it from the city's original Victorian library.

:23:16. > :23:20.Altogetherer it's taken three-and-a-half years of building

:23:20. > :23:26.work to complete the new library. Back in May, when large parts of the

:23:26. > :23:30.building were still heart hat areas, preparations were already underway

:23:30. > :23:39.for the grand opening. Julie and Dave, the director of

:23:39. > :23:43.musical spectacle Super Critical Mass has come to recce the library

:23:43. > :23:47.to plan a performance for the opening ceremony.

:23:47. > :23:54.The piece will be a unique response to the architecture of the building.

:23:55. > :23:58.So, he is here to sound out the acoustics. This is an extraordinary

:23:58. > :24:03.space. I don't think I have ever been in a space like T photos don't

:24:03. > :24:08.do it Jews ti.s it is bigger than I thought and the acoustics more

:24:08. > :24:14.surprising. -- -- justice. To get higher up in this rotunda they have

:24:14. > :24:18.to be rich. Because of a circular nature, echos do some unusual

:24:18. > :24:22.things. This offers a lot of potential.

:24:22. > :24:29.The musicians will be drawn from across the city and today Julian is

:24:29. > :24:32.rehearsing with students from the Birmingham Conservatoire. A long

:24:32. > :24:33.note, take a breath or two, another long note. A different note each

:24:33. > :24:45.time. Any note of your choice. We are still at a relatively early

:24:45. > :24:50.stage of devising the piece. The work always emerges through the

:24:50. > :24:56.process of having workshops and get-togethers with the musicians.

:24:56. > :25:00.Right, Give me your lowest A. I think there is a great sense of

:25:00. > :25:04.communal spirit among brass players. When using brass we'll often use

:25:04. > :25:09.long tones that might be the length of a player's breath. If they are

:25:09. > :25:13.all doing it at different times they get surging, breathing in and out

:25:13. > :25:22.patterns. There are some big lungs over here.

:25:22. > :25:25.Nicely done. I'm I am soar fan ally. I play the euphonium. I have been

:25:25. > :25:34.Nicely done. I'm I am soar fan ally. playing since I was 11. -- Sarwan

:25:34. > :25:39.Ally. So that's 14 years now. I'm very

:25:39. > :25:44.proud. I'm intrigued about how it is going to sound in the library. As

:25:44. > :25:53.musicians prepare, the city readies itself for the big day.

:25:53. > :25:59.The time has come for the people of Birmingham to test out their new

:25:59. > :26:06.library, as the building opens its doors for the first time.

:26:06. > :26:11.There's no shortage of interest. The queue goes around the block and

:26:11. > :26:15.continues all day. It's great to be here at the moment

:26:15. > :26:20.when the architecture comes alive, when the great British public flood

:26:20. > :26:23.through the doors. It's like blood throwing through the veins of the

:26:23. > :26:27.building. I canning cans off the celebration

:26:27. > :26:36.is Super Critical Mass, with its abstract brass performance of

:26:36. > :26:50.breathe breathe breathe. Bort - Together With We Breathe.

:26:50. > :26:57.Meanwhile, across the building, people are already settling in.

:26:57. > :27:02.So what did Brummies think of their new space.

:27:02. > :27:07.Lovely. Yes, I think it's done Birmingham proud.

:27:08. > :27:11.I like the circular design. It promotes the theme of being able to

:27:11. > :27:16.look up. Well not quite to the heavens but you know what I mean.

:27:16. > :27:19.Almost. It reminds me of the Congress building in America for

:27:19. > :27:23.some reason, the circles. It's brilliant. I like it. Very

:27:23. > :27:28.user-friendly. E o, it's beautiful. I think it's so mazing. I love this

:27:28. > :27:31.especially. I love this outside bit with the balcony. It's really

:27:31. > :27:38.relaxing. There is a children's environment to

:27:38. > :27:43.play. The kids like it. Every time you have finished your

:27:43. > :27:51.book, then we are coming back to pick another one.

:27:51. > :27:54.There are so many free things, then everyone can get involved. I have

:27:55. > :27:59.been in the library ten minutes. I have had a nice chat with the lady

:27:59. > :28:00.here. It is a nice place to come and chillout. It is so big, you can be

:28:00. > :28:15.here all day. It's easy to get sentimental about

:28:15. > :28:20.libraries and rightly so. With in what other building can you lounge

:28:20. > :28:26.about all day reading Tolstoy or take a break without even having to

:28:26. > :28:35.buy a cup of coffee. What other building celebrates civic life and

:28:35. > :28:43.brings a city together for no other cause than buying the latest trainer

:28:43. > :28:44.for smartphone. For me, a successful cohesive society depends on

:28:44. > :28:51.buildings like this.