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A new two-story, 18,000-sq. ft. library in Rego Park will cost New York City taxpayers $38 million to build – roughly five times what a private developer would pay to build a low-rise commercial building in the outer boroughs. Where is this money going?? https://foresthillspost.com/rego-park-library-construction-will-begin-in-2021
So that's over $2,100 per sq. ft. For comparison, Texas Southern University is building a new library in Houston for a bit over $310 per sq. ft. https://www.asumag.com/new-construction/texas-southern-university-begins-construction-new-library
Here's a new library in Helsinki which looks very fancy. It was built for $590 psf https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helsinki_Central_Library_Oodi
In Colombes, outside of Paris, a library finished in 2013 cost $230 psf to build. The Marguerite Duras library in Paris proper cost $223 psf in 2010 http://www.culture.gouv.fr/content/download/49447/387267/version/1/file/Architecture+des+bibliotheques.pdf
Seattle's Central Library – a dramatic building with very tall ceilings designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Rem Koolhaas – cost $455 psf in the early 2000s https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle_Central_Library
More recently, OMA designed the Alexis de Tocqueville Library in Caen, in Normandy, and it attracted some controversy for its total cost of $562 psf. It's really elaborate: 20' ceilings, a vast column-free interior, the works https://architizer.com/blog/practice/materials/behind-building-bibliotheque-alexis-oma/ https://pro.bpi.fr/files/live/sites/Professionnels/files/Images/Métier/bibliotheques/caen/Caenlamer-AdeTocqueville.pdf
. @nycfuture put out a report on NYC's insane library construction costs a few years ago. Looks like the problem has actually gotten much worse since then – I don't see any costs here anywhere near the Rego Park branch's $2,100+ psf https://twitter.com/wetwax/status/1187058233489448962
In Calgary, Snøhetta designed a 6-story library w/"fully operational Light Rail Transit Line [crossing] the site from above to below ground on a curved half-moon path"; also has some parametric stuff: $781 psf https://www.archdaily.com/905263/calgary-central-library-snohetta https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calgary_Central_Library (via @sea_Baugruppe)
Notoriously expensive Santiago Calatrava did an expansion in notoriously expensive Zurich for $1,072 psf, half Rego Park's cost (which won't have starchitect design). Bibliothek der Rechtswissenschaften Fakultät der Universität Zürich: https://libereurope.eu/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/LAG_LIBER2006_documentation.pdf (via @sea_Baugruppe)
Construction was $23 million, $1,533 psf. These outrageous price tags for public works are THE reason why we can't afford to fix, replace, or expand schools, libraries, and transit in New York City https://greenpointpost.com/greenpoint-library-environmental-education-center-finally-opens https://twitter.com/benfangBQE/status/1318630465495060482
