The journey
The original State Library of Queensland building at South Bank was built in 1988 and designed by architect Robin Gibson.
On 17 May 2000, the Premier of Queensland, Peter Beattie, and Minister for the Arts, Matt Foley, announced the Millennium Arts Project to include a major redevelopment of the State Library building at Brisbane's South Bank.
In April 2002, the Queensland-based architectural team of Donovan Hill + Peddle Thorp were engaged to design the new building. The architectural team proposed a building that is characterised by timeless design and provides a complementary form to the previous State Library structure.
In December 2003, more than 220 staff and two million items valued at over $74 million were relocated to allow construction to begin. To watch the time lapse video of this construction on this page click on the arrow in the centre of the image. To view this video via YouTube click on the title of the video image.
The redevelopment doubled the size of the building and included a new five-level addition linked to the existing building by the Knowledge Walk, with a new roof encasing the entire structure.
On 25 November 2006 the new State Library building opened to the public and is now a major cultural and educational destination at South Bank.
Last updated: 9th January 2012
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