We’re creating a place for you... students, tamariki, whānau, researchers, creators, innovators, change makers, book worms, information seekers and everyday people!
Our new library and community hub will be the first building to be constructed in our new civic precinct, Te Manawataki o Te Papa, and offers so much more than a place to find books or pay your rates (although you can certainly do that too).
Whether you’re visiting for a property query, rates payment, dog registration or another enquiry about council services; or perhaps a book club, computer class, research assignment, or coffee with friends - this exciting new space is being designed with the community at heart.
Library and community hub: Indicative design
Check out how this space could look in the future.
Places for people
The new library and community hub will feature:
- All your usual library favourites from non-fiction to science-fiction books and everything in between.
- Council’s friendly Customer Service Centre team available for all council enquiries.
- A café for those coffee catch-ups or a bite to eat with friends, colleagues or study buddies.
- Flexible community spaces and rooms for meetings, workshops, seminars and events - catering for everything from author readings to computer classes, and clothes swaps to ceremonies of cultural importance.
- A technology-rich innovation space to foster creativity, digital and hands-on learning to support activities such as 3D printing, robotics, crafting, artistry and multimedia production.
- Dedicated and inclusive areas for tamariki and rangitahi to learn and explore.
- A multi-sensory space to connect with all the senses through relaxation and fun.
- Views across the civic precinct, wider city and out to Te Awanui Tauranga Harbour.
- A modern archive facility to explore and discover our region’s significant heritage artefacts including photographs, artworks, rare books, videos, oral histories, maps and documents.
- A comprehensive reference section which will serve as a knowledge hub for students, researchers, and professionals.
Background
Following extensive community engagement, in June 2022 the Council committed to developing the civic precinct that will see our city’s heart transformed into a vibrant community space over the coming years, breathing new life into what will become a key cultural, heritage and economic driver for the region.
To be called Te Manawataki o Te Papa, the heartbeat of Te Papa, it will feature a library and community hub, civic whare (public meeting house), museum, and exhibition gallery. The programme of work also includes upgrades to Baycourt and Tauranga Art Gallery, along with the landscaping of public spaces in the area.
Learn more about Te Manawataki o Te Papa
Sustainable design
Council has committed to putting sustainability at the forefront of design for this new three-level facility, targeting a 6 Green Star rating which reflects world leadership in sustainability. To achieve that aspiration, a mass timber hybrid structure has been adopted to minimise the buildings’ carbon impact and help create a better environment for our future.
The design of the building is based on three principles, developed alongside mana whenua, to help tell the story of the city’s rich past to all those who visit:
- Wai: flow nourishes and shapes the whenua
- Ahi Kaa: a space emerges to sustain people
- Paparanga Ngahere: a place to nurture community activity and growth.