San Diego's new central library has been given a top. Construction crews have completed the library's signature dome, and progress on the building has caused workers to start looking at the building's inner workings.
The dome will house a three-story reading room in the library's upper reaches. Project executive Carmen Vann said building the dome was a task like no other, due to the structure's unique angular shape. She added that when library patrons enter the open-air dome, they'll be very impressed.
"You'll be able to go into this large, dramatic reading room with clear views to the Coronado Bridge, which is behind us, and the bay," she said.
The dome was inspired by buildings in Balboa Park, and it's come to be the library's architectural trademark.
"For me it's the cherry on the ice cream cone," said Vann, who described the dome's practical function as a shade for the upper-floor reading room. "But it's not just a shade structure to the building. It creates that cherry, that whipped cream on an ice cream cone full of creative architectural features!"
The central library is due to be done by summer of next year. Vann said the dome will soon be covered by a series of perforated shades, and nearly 80 percent of the library's exterior is already windowed in.
"A lot of focus right now is on the interiors. You'll see dry wall being put in place. You'll see paint happening right now. You'll see tile going in place in the restroom areas," said Vann.
Workers have just begun building an auditorium that will lie along the side of the library that faces Petco Park. The home of the Padres lies only a block away.
