Vancouver Public Library - Central Library

The Vancouver Public Library’s Central Library is defined by a massive, free-standing elliptical wall that wraps around a rectangular, nine-story core. Completed in nineteen ninety-five, this distinctive structure draws its visual identity from the Colosseum in Rome. The design, by architect Moshe Safdie and the firm DA Architects and Planners, was chosen following a nineteen ninety public referendum. It sits within Library Square, a city block that also accommodates a federal office tower, retail spaces, and a public piazza.