Library Buildings around the World

Betty and Gordon Moore Library, University of Cambridge, Cambridge – UK 2001
Established as a new branch of the main University library covering the Physical Sciences and Technology, the library is central to
the vision of bringing together two mathematical departments, the Issac Newton Institute and the national research centre for
mathematical sciences and their applications at the Centre for Mathematical Sciences. Circular in plan, with three floors above
ground and one below, it features advanced natural ventilation and cooling managed via the integrated building management system
for the upper two floors whilst the lower levels are cooled by chilled beams. The library accommodates around 7000m of open access
books and periodicals in addition to the 2,730m of closed access stacks. The library provides secure 24 hour access to its collection
and workstations. (Cullinan)
Faculty of Divinity Library, University of Cambridge, Cambridge – UK 2000
Located on the top floor and mezzanine of the Faculty of Divinity the north facing double-height library has views over the mature
college gardens, and is filled with light provided by the large central roof-light and vertical glazing. The library's radial plan makes
it easy for the user to navigate and easy for the librarian to supervise. This layout enables the 60,000 books and journals to be
shelved in a simple linear sequence. There are 49 reading spaces in the library; some tucked away quietly at the edge of the building
beside a window, or more ostentatiously in the centre of the space under the clerestory. (Cullinan)
St. John´s College Library, University of Cambridge, Cambridge – UK 1990 – 1993
In 1990, we won a competition to build a new library for the College which had a magnificent collection of old books and
manuscripts housed in a chapel-like room built in 1624, but its modern collection had long outgrown its cramped conditions.
Our design kept the old collection intact by retaining the shell of the existing 1885 Penrose building, and transforming it with a new
extension at right angles to create a technologically modern, naturally ventilated library with 120 reading spaces. The resulting
cruciform building also makes a new entrance to the library facing the mighty tower of Gilbert Scott's chapel across Chapel Court.
The building was completed on time to a tight timetable within the confines of a busy working college. (Cullinan)
Li Ka Shing Library, Singapore Management University – Singapore 2006
ECA worked closely with the National Library Board of Singapore (NLB) to develop and implement the brief for this
academic hybrid library. The design aimed to acknowledge the importance of the library as a collection of physical spaces
providing access to both printed texts and the ever expanding quantity of digital information. Within the SMU masterplan
the library forms one of the key focuses of the campus. The £13M (approx.) library has capacity for 140,000 volumes, 900
work/study spaces and 166 dedicated computer terminals, providing a rich variety of working environments whilst
maintaining maximum flexibility to allow the library to adapt to the changing needs of library users. (Cullinan)
see: National Library Board Singapore http://www.nlb.gov.sg
National Library Singapore 2005, Architect: T.R.Hamzah & Yeang, Ampang, Selangor, Malaysia
Curl la Tourelle Architects, London – UK
http://www.cltarchitects.co.uk
Libraries:
Sutton Life Centre, Borough of Sutton, London – UK 2011
Applied technology blurs the boundaries between private and public learning
Curl La Tourelle Architects and Land Design Studio are working together on an unprecedented new building typology that blurs the
boundaries between an immersive learning environment and community library. A series of physical, digitally generated and
sensory environments communicate critical life skills and citizenship issues that are faced everyday by people in Great Britain.
These experiences are centred on the lives of nine and ten year old children, but can be extended to engage all, investigating drug
culture, dangers of alcohol, life threatening hazards involving transport and it can promote an intelligent response to global climate
change, waste and recycling, a citizens role in the community and our influence in a political world. A Media Lab links the new
media technology allowing visitors the ability to create their own digitally generated environments. Thus, emphasising the
importance of communal and collective engagement, re-defining the concept of a community centre and district library.
Cutting edge sustainable technology provides 50% renewables. Assisted natural ventilation utilises underground temperatures via
earth tubes cooling or heating the air. A Biomass Boiler provides all the buildings heating requirements. Rainwater is harvested for
use throughout the building. An eco/habitat garden provides a green buffer to the local residents.
(http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com)
CZWG Architects LLP, London – UK
www.czwg.com
Libraries:
Canada Water Library, London – UK 2011
Local Authority London Borough of Southwark, Content New Library building including a café, learning facilities and a
performance space, Completion Date November 2011, Value £14 million, Size 2,900 m2
The idea of a free standing object in space is quite appropriate for a library, since it is a portal to the discovery of other worlds. As a
piece of sculpture it binds together a tube station, a stretch of open water and a plaza and makes the precursor landmark of a
substantial new development on London’s Canada Water. The inverted pyramid form contains a readily accessible café,
performance space, internet points and popular books within a small footprint at ground level, whilst the expanding shape above
enables the containment of the main library within a single, galleried, skylit double volume. The whole is clad in aluminium sheets,
anodised a light bronze with sequined perforations. (CZWG)
Dearle Henderson Consultancy Ltd., London – UK
http://www.d-h.co.uk
Now. http://n-ablegroup.co.uk
Dearle and Henderson are part of the N-Able group of companies and are a dynamic multi disciplinary property consultancy
providing practical, added value solutions for the enhancement of the environment both built and social. We employ 30 fully
motivated professional staff, and the skill set of our award winning team combines traditional building professions in Architecture,
Energy, Project Management, Building Surveying, M&E, and Cost Consultancy, together with a wider range of contemporary
solutions, enabling our organisation to provide a comprehensive, integrated and seamless service.
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