Libraries have become much more than book depositories, now including community facilities such as maternal health rooms, active and passive areas for toddlers, designated areas for youth, cafes, lounges: the list is almost endless. And rather than being tucked away, libraries are now occupying key sites that broaden their usage. The recently completed 'REALM' library complex, designed by The Buchan Group with London-based practice ACME (responsible for the building's 'skin') shows how far libraries have come.
