Painted birds take flight on the Central Library

The Central Library in Paradise Circus has gained a colourful new look, with a flock of painted birds decorating the east side of the lending library.

The artwork, painted in July by the Birmingham street artist Lucy McLauchlan, covers the concrete wall that faces towards the Town Hall and Chamberlain Square.

A brutalist canvas

The Central Library, designed by John Madin and opened in 1974, is one of the city's best-known and most controversial buildings. Its inverted ziggurat shape, with each floor overhanging the one below, has made it a landmark of brutalist architecture.

Its admirers regard it as one of the finest modern buildings in the country, and English Heritage has tried to have it listed. Its critics see it as an ugly concrete block, and the city council plans to demolish it once the new Library of Birmingham, now being built in Centenary Square, is complete.

Bringing colour to concrete

Lucy McLauchlan is known for her distinctive black and white painted designs, often featuring birds and flowing patterns, which have appeared on walls and buildings in Birmingham and around the world. The new work brings a splash of life to the grey concrete of the library, and has been welcomed by many people passing through Chamberlain Square.

A busy library

Despite its reputation, the Central Library remains one of the busiest libraries in the country. It houses the city's lending and reference libraries, its archives and its famous collections, including one of the most important Shakespeare collections in the world.

For a time it was the largest non-national library in Europe.

A new library on the way

Work began in January on the new Library of Birmingham, designed by the Dutch architects Mecanoo, on the site of a former car park between the Repertory Theatre and Baskerville House. The council says the new building will be the largest public library in the country when it opens in 2013.

The council says the old library is no longer fit for purpose, pointing to problems with its concrete cladding and its layout. Its supporters argue that it could be refurbished and reused.

Art in the city

The painting is part of a growing movement to bring art on to the streets of Birmingham. Street artists have transformed walls in areas such as Digbeth, turning the former industrial district into a gallery of murals.

How long the library's birds will last is uncertain, given the plans for the building. For now, they offer a playful new face to one of the city's most talked-about buildings, and a reminder that even the most unloved concrete can be made to smile.