Library Buildings around the World

Kempe Centre, Wye College Imperial College of London, Wye – UK 1996
Awards:
The building received an RIBA design award.
The Learning Resources Centre united the College Library with the Department of Computing in a new building looking out on the
Kent countryside. Green values were fundamental to the design, combined with the underlying purpose of responding to
technological developments in library management. The building was constructed with its long east and west faces between two
existing rows of pleached trees. The trees help to protect the building from low sunshine in the summer months. The main library
hall is naturally lit, with clerestory lighting falling between the bookstacks. The site was a very sensitive one, on the edge of a
traditional Kent village. (Hare)
Hawkins / Brown, London – UK
http://www.hawkinsbrown.co.uk
Libraries:
Corby Civic Hub, Corby, Northamptonshire – UK 2010
Client Corby Borough Council, Funder Clients NNDC (formerly Catalyst Corby) / English Partnerships / East Midlands
Development Agency, Value £30m, Location Corby,
Awards:
Civic Trust Award 2012 - Commendation Concrete Society Awards 2011
Commendation British Construction Industry 2011 –
Shortlist East Midlands Property Awards, Design Excellence Category 2011
Shortlist FX International Interior Design Awards 2011 -
Winner Best Public Building Regeneration and Renewal Award, Mixed Use Developments Category 2011
Shortlist Regeneration and Renewal Award, Design Excellence Category 2011
Shortlist RICS East Midlands Project of the Year Award 2011
Shortlist RICS National Award Regeneration Catgeory 2011
Shortlist (for Corby Parkland Gateway - including Corby Civic Hub, Corby International Pool & Corby Interchange) Share
The Corby Cube is truly a new paradigm for civic buildings in an age of austerity. The pressure to reduce expenditure has pushed
Authorities to examine how they can rationalise their estates and deliver services more efficiently and effectively. The Corby Cube
does just this.
We have worked on this ground-breaking project since 2004, having won in competition against Richard Rogers Partnership, Rafael
Vinõly and Fielden Clegg Bradley. The Cube combines the functions of two buildings, an arts and civic centre, into one, providing a
diverse range of services under one roof. This approach is sustainable in the holistic sense as Council services are consolidated to
make the most of their reduced resources whilst redundant brownfield sites can be regenerated to create future development
opportunities. The project was the first theatre to gain a BREEAM Excellent rating.
Our innovative approach has led to a building that everyone in Corby can be proud of. It demonstrates that world class public
facilities can be sustainable and at the very heart of a community’s proactive regeneration, putting the ‘Cor’ back into Corby.
(Hawkins)
Located in central Corby, the Corby Hub is a 'pure' building, the exterior completely unblemished by service entrances, bin stores
and plant equipment (all of which are contained in an undercroft).
The highly reflective surfaces are symbolic of the reinvention of Corby, and refer to the town's historic role as a leading player in UK
steel production.
Reinforcing this marriage of the old with the new, many of the internal surfaces will include steel finishes.
CONTEMPORARY DESIGN
A series of components spiral around the exterior characterising each elevation; the north elevation is animated by a transparent
glazed entrance foyer, the east elevation by display vitrines and window into the council chamber. A cantilevered reading room
projects out of the first floor of the south elevation and the west elevation features transparent glazing into the elevated library ramp
and a café and hair salon at ground floor level.
Irregularly spaced apertures appear on the upper levels framing views into a planted terrace and providing views out to the historic
woodlands beyond. The roof is treated as a fifth elevation continuing the patterning of the façades with bandings of sedum roof and
brown roof.
Integrated within the facade will be work by artist Nayan Kulkarni utilising retro-reflective 3M tape, using golden section geometry.
This 3M tape is arranged across all four facades of the building and illuminated using a series of external light sources to create a
vibrant 'blink' effect.
Facilities include:
A modern, flexible 445-seat theatre and arts space, and additional studio space
A well-equipped library
A ground floor café and hair salon
A rooftop restaurant with views over Hazel Wood
Corby Borough Council One-Stop-Shop and offices
Council Chamber and a marriage room for civil ceremonies
Terraced roof garden
"A series of components spiral around the Corby Hub exterior, characterising each elevation."
Facilities are arranged around a spiralling circulation system composed of ramps, which rise from the foyer through the building
and a linear 'lazy stair' spanning 15m and culminating in a helical stair leading to the rooftop restaurant. The ramp predominantly
provides space for the library, but is also a device to enable multiple facilities to be located on what is perceived as the ground floor
and provides the central promenade through the building.
CORBY HUB THEATRE
To reduce its impact on the overall building, the theatre is a walnut-clad casket submerged in the south east corner of the cube; the
interior features balconies influenced by Victorian playhouses. The theatre has a flexible flat floor auditorium with a curved
retractable seating system, the first of its kind in the UK.
The building is predominantly naturally ventilated using exposed thermal mass for night-time cooling and aims to meet a BREEAM
rating of excellent. (http://www.designbuild-network.com)
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