Library Buildings around the World

Aldington Craig Collinge, Albury Thame, Oxfordshire – UK
http://www.aldingtoncraigandcollinge.co.uk
Libraries:
Ludlow Library and Resource Centre, Ludlow – UK 2003
Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, London – UK
http://www.ahmm.co.uk
Libraries:
Barking Learning Center, Barkin & Dagenham, London – UK 2007
Awards:
British Construction Industry Awards: Local Authority Award 2008
Brick Awards 2009
European Prize for Public Urban Space 2008
Housing Design Award 2010
Housing Design Award 2005
MIPIM Best Mixed Use Award 2007
Building for Life Award 2010
Building for Life Silver Standard 2010
World Architecture Festival: Commended 2010
London Planning Awards: Best New Public Space 2010
Officially opened in September 2007, Phase I of the development included the creation of the new Barking Learning Centre with
over 250 apartments above and a public square, located opposite the existing Town Hall. The key construction challenge was the
retention of the original 1970s library building and the design of a new concrete frame and transfer structure built over library to
support the new housing above. Phase I was delivered four months early and within budget. As with any large scale regeneration, the
scheme faced challenges that were overcome with a positive attitude towards finding solutions and the successful working
relationships with a complex client group including local authority, community organisations and developers. Despite the protracted
programme and the difficult procurement process, high quality design remained central to the whole team’s ambition of what could
be achieved. The quality and innovation throughout the scheme prove that public/private investment can work with the right team in
place. The new Barking Learning Centre offers a much wider range of public amenities with ICT suites, conference facilities, a onestop-shop,
cafe, art gallery, classrooms as well as library facilities. AHMM persuaded the client to allow them to retain control the
FF&E contract for the library - raising the standard to include bespoke furniture and branding/wayfinding by leading
contemporary designers, including long-term collaborator Studio Myerscough. Since opening in 2007, the library has seen a
dramatic increase in users and is now open until 10pm, bringing new life into the centre of Barking. (Allfdord)
Barbican Arts Centre, London – UK 2006
₤ 126.000.000
Awards:
RIBA Award for Architecture 2007
Design Week Wayfinding & Environmental Graphics Award 2007
The particular problems of the Barbican centred on visitors being unable to locate themselves and their destinations easily – a
confusion made worse by visual clutter accumulated over the last two decades, by the lack of a distinctive street presence and by the
centre’s inherently compromised architectural arrangement with its 6 principal venues and main entrances spread above and below
ground over seven levels. The whole building is listed Grade II but we were not disposed to radically change it, rather to work with
it, recognising and celebrating the building’s best qualities while dealing head-on with its deficiencies. Our strategy has been to
clarify the Barbican’s circulation by creating a single, wide, unambiguous and welcoming route which takes visitors from the de
facto main street entrance on Silk Street right across the centre to its other most-used entrance off the Lakeside Terrace, which is at
the heart of the whole development. This new grand route, actually a new bridge structure, has one major crossroads from which
visitors can branch off to their chosen auditorium or restaurant or meeting room before it leads visitors directly to the central
circulation core. These lifts and stairs, uniquely in the building, provide access to all of the centre’s many venues including the
Library and the Art Gallery (refurbished as an earlier phase of the works) on upper floors and the main Cinema and the Pit Theatre
below. Where new architectural form has been called for such as the new entrances, the new bridge, interval bars and information
points, we have developed a common language of form and materials for their ‘portal’ enclosures which clearly highlights their
function and respectfully distinguishes the new from the old. All of these new architectural elements have been deliberately overscaled
to occupy their sites fully such that they sit within Chamberlin Powell and Bon’s robust spaces with confidence and read as a
necessary part of the architecture. Close collaboration has been a key feature of the project where lighting and graphic design has
been carefully integrated with architectural form to ensure that all aspects of the design are supporting the principle aim – that of
improving the legibility of the building and the visitor’s experience of finding their way around. To reinforce the new simplified
routing, a visitor way-finding strategy has been developed with the graphic designers which, in contrast to the previous attempts, sets
out to reduce the amount of signage needed to the minimum required to function – and at a completely different set of scales.
Floor-to-ceiling signage has been installed in the form of giant arrows and super-graphics spelling out the names of the two main
venues, the hall and the theatre, using colours which match the predominant colours of the venues themselves. At each lift lobby,
giant cut-out numerals wrap around the concrete denoting the relevant level while smaller scale directories give more detailed
listings of venues and facilities. With the lighting consultants a bespoke light fitting has been designed which underlines the
distinctive architectural character of the concrete structure and which subliminally reinforce visitors’ routes through its layout.
Needless to say the six year-long project has involved a continuing partnership between the design team, the contractors, the client,
and, through three years of disruptive works, its loyal audiences. (Allford)
Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication, Library – Learning Resorce Centre, London – UK
1999
₤ 5.000.000
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