The knowledge floor!

A day out in Birmingham today, primarily to visit the German market. This means the opportunity to drink mulled cider (other winter drinks are available) and eat Bratwurst.

I suspect some of the traders may well be complaining about the adverse publicity that the market received on tv last weekend for being crowded, because, while at certain pinch points it was still very busy, it was nothing like as hectic as last year. Far fewer people there I would have thought.

We also took the opportunity to visit the recently opened new city library. What a stunning place. Nine floors (plus basement areas we didn't visit) with a fabulous atrium up the centre of the building. Wide open floors for the library areas that were all very busy, not just with inquisitive visitors like us but being used for their intended use. Lots of desks and working space along with many seats just to stop and watch.

Also, and very unusually for a library I would have thought, there are a couple of roof garden spaces that provide views all across the city. This affords views that most people would never get, although I have previously worked on the 28th floor at Alpha Tower just across the road.

Inside, there are lots of curves as well as straight lines, escalators at angles to each other, all creating a wonderful explosion of light and shade, shapes and tones.

I would heartily recommend anyone going to Birmingham to visit this place - I'm sure it will become one of those iconic buildings - A massive improvement on the monstrous carbuncle of the old building.

This image was from the 4th floor looking down towards a lower floor where the reference sections are located - hence it's title. It's not just knowledge - it's life!

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