Library Buildings around the World

timber frame, the new building will be constructed from Herefordshire grown oak and Douglas fir timber. Architype’s scheme is
highly sustainable and is aiming to be Ledbury’s first “Passivhaus” standard building with radically reduced energy consumption.
In addition to the new library, the project also includes the refurbishment of one of the UK’s only surviving examples of a 15th
century pre-Reformation hospital Master’s House. Architype is working in partnership with mediaeval timber specialists Butler and
Hegarty Architects and Amey Consulting is providing other consultancies.
Construction of the new library is due to start in 2010. (http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com) (12.05.2009)
City Learning Centre – London-Ledbury, Borough of Kensington & Chelsea - UK 2002
Awards:
2002 FX Awards Best Public Spaces
ARUP , London – UK
http://www.arup.com
Libraries:
Alhóndiga Bilbao – Spain 2010
El concepto actual de biblioteca debe responder a un nuevo modelo que trasciende las funciones tradicionales Asociadas a la
difusión cultural, incorporando servicios de tipologia diversa que refuerzar identificación con las neceidades hábitos y
demandas de la ciudadania y favorecen su implicación e en la dinámica social de la comunidad a la que atienden (RecBib –
Recursos Bibliotecarios).
Transforming a former warehouse into a 68,000m² cultural and leisure centre. Retaining the original façade and strips of
floor. Housing new facilities within the shell of the original building. The refurbishment of Alhóndiga Bilbao will transform
a former warehouse into a cultural and leisure centre. Arup provided structural, mechanical and electrical engineering
design for the project.
The facade of the historic building, which was formerly used to store local produce, will be preserved. Strips of floor 4m and
11m wide, adjacent to the facade, will also be retained. The interior has been demolished to create space for the new facilities
to be housed within the shell of the original building. The new centre will include a swimming pool with a big terrace,
library, cinemas, exhibition hall, retail, leisure space and an underground parking garage. The main challenge for the
designers is to unite the existing façade and floor strips with three new inner buildings and two basements. (ARUP)
Discovery College – Hong Kong 2008
Discovery College is a private independent school, operated by English Schools Foundation (ESF) in Discovery Bay, Lantau
Island. The new campus combines a primary school and a secondary school, which in Hong Kong is called a “through
train” school. The Hong Kong government provided a capital grant for construction costs equivalent to the cost of a new
local standard school. ESF added to the grant to provide a higher standard of accommodation and special facilities.
The school began full operation in August 2008, serving over 1,400 students. It has a gross floor area of 24,500m2, with a
fully equipped indoor sports hall, a performing arts centre and plenty of high quality educational facilities and amenities,
including laboratories, workshops, an information resource centre/library, gymnasium, swimming pool and cafeteria.
Arup’s project management provided an end to end service for ESF, from the concept planning to detailed design,
construction and finally, the handover stage. (ARUP)
Amsterdam Public Library – The Netherlands 2007
see: Joe Coenen
The lighting design creates a landscape with contrasting zones. A system for distributing fresh air is incorporated into the
floors. The building makes use of free cooling from the cold air outside. Opened in 2007, Amsterdam’s new library is
designed to connect learning with participation and experience. One of the city’s largest public projects, it attracts two
million visitors every year. As well as borrowing books, Amsterdam Public Library offers people the chance to attend special
events, presentations, exhibitions and cultural activities. It includes seven collection floors and provides a storage area for
books, a theatre, a readers’ cafe and a restaurant overlooking the city. The architect’s vision was to create a building with
light and space at its heart. Arup’s lighting design creates a landscape with contrasting zones on the large collection floors.
Luminous escalators guide visitors upstairs to terraces in the library’s high atrium. To help achieve a sense of space, Arup’s
structural and building design specialists cleverly hid the building’s equipment and services from view. A system for
distributing fresh air is incorporated into the floors. This innovation also extended to ensuring the Amsterdam Public
Library is as sustainable as possible. The building uses a ground source heat system together with very efficient boilers. It
also makes use of free cooling from the cold air outside whenever possible. (ARUP)
Seattle Central Library – USA 2004
see: OMA
363,000 square foot library with 49,000 square feet underground parking garage. Capacity for 1.45 million books; four-
storey “books spiral” displays collected volumes in continuous run. Received LEED® Silver rating from US Green Building
Council. The Seattle Central Library opened in 2004 to great civic pride and universal critical acclaim. It has been described
as the embodiment of new library forms for the 21st century. The design team’s challenges included maximising public space
without the use of visually impairing pillars, strengthening the external structure for seismic resistance and support, and
doing both in a sustainable manner. For the exterior, designers developed a diagonal grid system of insulated glass on a steel
structure that provides great stiffness to resist lateral forces. Approximately half of the panes are triple-layered glass with a
metal mesh sandwiched between two outer glass layers. The mesh reduces both heat and glare. The library was designed to
outperform Seattle’s energy code by ten percent. To accomplish this, Arup used computer modelling and CFD analysis to
investigate energy-efficient building systems. Among its additional sustainable features are water-efficient mechanical
systems, including irrigation via rainwater collection tank, environmentally-minded ventilation and fire suppression systems
and extensive use of recycled material for construction. The library received a Silver rating from the U.S. Green Building
Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) programme. (ARUP)
Associated Architects LLP, Birmingham, UK
http://www.associated-architects.co.uk
Libraries:
Birmingham City University, Library, City Centre Campus: Phase II –UK 2015
Client: Birmingham City University
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