library news
RDHA's library and Komagata Maru Park project given RAIC medal
by Tom Walker | 04 Jun 2020
The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) has named the Springdale Library and Komagata Maru Park – designed by RDH Architects (RDHA) – among the winners of its bi-annual Governor General’s Medals. The biennial awards recognise and celebrate excellence in recently built and designed projects by Canadian architects. First opened in 2019, the 26,000sq ft Springdale Library, contemplative garden, neighbourhood park and splash pad was created for the City of
Diamond Schmitt design joint library and archives building for Ottawa
by Stu Robarts | 31 Jan 2020
Diamond Schmitt Architects, working with KWC Architects, have designed a joint facility for Ottawa Public Library and Library and Archives Canada (OPL-LAC) aimed at creating an inspiring place for gathering, learning and discovery. The CAD$193m (US$146m, €132m, £111m) building is scheduled to open in 2024, will cover 216,000sq ft (20,000sq m) and be split across five floors. It will house shared resources for the organisations including exhibitions and collections space,
Schmidt Hammer Lassen design hybrid library-theatre for Skien
by Stu Robarts | 23 Jan 2020
A team led by Schmidt Hammer Lassen (SHL) is one of two left in the running to create a new library in Skien, Norway, with a hybrid design that will allow visitors to experience the work and influence of Henrik Ibsen. The Ibsen Library is being established to drive increased social involvement and democratic participation in the region, to become a visitor attraction and to honour the legacy of the
Atelier Tao+C create stunning capsule hotel and library in old Chinese building
by Stu Robarts | 07 Jan 2020
Atelier Tao+C have renovated an old building in the Chinese town of Tonglu to create a capsule hotel and library with floating floors, bamboo bookshelves and a fully glazed gable end that provides views of the surrounding forest. The original floors and partition walls were removed from the 232sq m (2,500sq ft) structure and three staggered floating levels installed and linked with zigzagging metal staircases. On two of the levels
Civic Architects' LocHal Public Library named World Building of the Year at World Architecture Festival
by Stu Robarts | 06 Dec 2019
Civic Architects' LocHal Public Library has won Building of the Year at the World Architecture Festival's (WAF) World Architecture Awards 2019. Designed in partnership with Braaksma & Roos Architectenbureau, Inside Outside, Petra Blaise and Mecanoo Architecten, the building is a new urban living room created in a former locomotive shed. The project is designed to provide a space for people of all ages to read, learn, study, meet and gather.
State Library Victoria reopens after Schmidt Hammer Lassen and Architectus revamp
by Stu Robarts | 06 Dec 2019
State Library Victoria, in Melbourne, Australia, has reopened after being revamped by Schmidt Hammer Lassen and Australian studio Architectus to expand its community outreach and enhance the visitor experience. The work is part of a five-year redevelopment plan and focused on a number of spaces within the library, which comprises 23 individual buildings and occupies an entire city block. The aim was to better weave together the spaces within the
RDH Architects convert old post office to bookless library with new wraparound glazing
by Stu Robarts | 25 Nov 2019
RDH Architects have converted an old derelict post office in the Candian city of Cambridge, Ontario, into a bookless library with new glass volumes that are cantilevered over the adjacent Grand River. The Idea Exchange provides a free community hub with spaces for learning, creativity, meeting and socialising. The $11.1m (US$8.4m, €7.6m, £6.5m) project combined contemporary additions and design with restored elements of the original building, which was built in
Snøhetta and Clark Nexsen design sloped, curved and cantilevered library and public commons
by Stu Robarts | 13 Nov 2019
Snøhetta and Clark Nexsen have revealed their design for the new Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, with elements that help to achieve the mission of it being more than just a library and also serving as a public commons. Located in the US city of Charlotte, North Carolina, the building will cover an area of 115,000sq ft (11,000sq m). It is shaped with a curved prow at one of its corners, which
Wolfgang Tschapeller suspends inverted ziggurat of 100,000 books in vast library space
by Stu Robarts | 06 Nov 2019
Wolfgang Tschapeller has suspended four levels of library stacks containing around 100,000 volumes in an inverted ziggurat at the Unversity of Cornell 's Mui Ho Fine Arts Library. Tschapeller's goal was to create "a 21st-century interpretation of the grand reading rooms associated with great research collections." To achieve this, he removed the third floor of the Rand Hall building, in which the library is housed, to create a double-height space
Beijing Fenghemuchen Space Design create serene wooden library and café
by Stu Robarts | 24 Oct 2019
Beijing Fenghemuchen Space Design has created a 1,170sq m (12,600sq ft) library, coffee shop and cultural space in China's Hangzhou City that is contained and shaped by natural wooden bookshelves and elements. The aim was to create a reading-themed space that could also be used for shared experiences and community purposes. Designers Yi Chen and Muchen Zhang chose to use oak throughout for its warmth and naturality as a material
University of Oxford gets potential net zero library and study centre
by Stu Robarts | 01 Oct 2019
Wright & Wright Architects, working with Max Fordham, have unveiled a new potentially net zero library and study centre at the University of Oxford's St John's College. The building is the first of its kind at the college and is powered by a 215sq m (2,300sq ft) solar array installed to cover all possible areas of the roof. The 2kWp system is expected to generate around 40,000kwh/pa, while the building
Clark Enersen Partners are part of the transformation team working on the Truman Presidential Library and Museum
by Andy Knaggs | 30 Jul 2019
The Harry S. Truman Library and Museum in Kansas City, Missouri, has closed to allow a year-long renovation, which will see the facility reopen to coincide with the 75th anniversary of Truman becoming US president in 1945. Museum planning and design firm Gallagher & Associates has created the new designs, and is working in collaboration with Monadnock Media, architectural firm The Clark Enersen Partners, and construction company JE Dunn Construction.
Inauguration of Snøhetta and DIALOG-designed library set for November
by Andrew Manns | 05 Oct 2018
Architectural firms Snøhetta and DIALOG have completed construction on Calgary’s New Central public library. The US$146m (€127m, £112m) building, has been created to "inspire Calgarians for the next 100 years", with an opening date set for 1 November. The city’s mayor, Naheed Nenshi, said the new centre, which is based at the intersection of downtown Calgary and the East Village neighbourhood, would have a "starring role" in putting Calgary on
BAF and Carlo Ratti scoop futuristic “library as a town” project
by Andrew Manns | 24 Sep 2018
Carlo Ratti Associati and Bio-architecture Formosana (BAF) Architects have been selected to design the newest addition to the Taiwan National Library and Repository. The firms beat out nine other competitors to secure the commission. The new public building, set to be constructed on a wooded plot in Tainan, will feature both as a monument and as a kind of educational town. In a statement, BAF said: "The concept of library
'The library’s role as public meeting space is more significant than ever': OMA's Qatar National Library officially opens
by Kim Megson | 03 May 2018
The Qatar National Library (QNL) in Doha, designed by international architects OMA, has been officially opened by the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani. Conceived as a space for reading, socialising and browsing, the building houses more than a million books and space for thousands of readers over an area of 42,000sq m (452,000sq ft). The marble bookshelves, organised around a central triangular space, segue with the
MVRDV complete futuristic Tianjin library with cascading bookshelves and enormous mirrored 'eye'
by Kim Megson | 02 Nov 2017
Dutch architects MVRDV have completed the Tianjin Binhai Library in China, a 33,700sq m (362,700sq ft) cultural centre featuring a luminous spherical auditorium which doubles as an enormous mirrored ‘eye’. Floor-to-ceiling bookcases cascade organically around the auditorium, forming the building's main spatial device, while also creating stairs, seating, the layered ceiling and louvres on the façade. The five-storey building holds 1.2 million books, which can be taken to a multitude
Building begins on Mecanoo's 'timeless' Tainan Library
by Kim Megson | 05 Jun 2017
Ground has broken on the new Tainan Public Library in Taiwan, designed by Dutch architects Mecanoo. The 37,000sq m (398,200sq ft) building – which will feature a transparent stepped facade and below-grade courtyards – will have a 290-seat auditorium, a large conference hall, reading rooms, study spaces, a children’s play area, a café, a conference hall and public meeting spaces. The entrance hall will rise three levels up to show
Adjaye Associates win contract to design Florida library and cultural centre
by Kim Megson | 08 May 2017
The architecture practice of Sir David Adjaye will lead the design of a major library and events centre in the city of Winter Park, Florida. Adjaye Associates have been hired by the Winter Park City Commission to work alongside HuntonBrady Architects on the project, which will be located in the northwest corner of the city’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Park. The building will be the new home of the Winter
Obamas unveil design for presidential museum and library on Chicago's South Side
by Kim Megson | 04 May 2017
Barack and Michelle Obama, the former president and first lady of the United States, have today (4 May) unveiled the design of the planned Obama Presidential Center on Chicago’s South Side. Designed by Todd Williams Billie Tsien Architects, the complex will be formed of a museum dedicated to Obama’s presidency, a library of his archives and a forum to advance the Obama Foundation’s public mission to promote global progress. Visitors
Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners to craft major British Library expansion
by Kim Megson | 12 Apr 2017
Architecture studio Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (RSHP) have been commissioned to design a major extension to the British Library in London. The design team will build 100,000sq ft (9,300sq m) of new spaces on a 2.8 acre site to the north of the library’s Grade 1 Listed building at St Pancras. Their design will include facilities for learning, exhibitions and public use, in addition to a new northern entrance
Obamas choose Chicago's Jackson Park as site for Presidential library and museum
by Kim Megson | 29 Jul 2016
US President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama have reportedly chosen Chicago's historic Jackson Park as the site for their Obama Presidential Center. Media reports in the city claim the historic park has been chosen ahead of fellow South Side location Washington Park. Official confirmation is expected next week. Once the announcement is made, preparation work will begin ahead of the start of construction next year. Earlier this month,
Obamas choose New York architects to lead design of their presidential library and museum
by Kim Megson | 01 Jul 2016
Barack and Michelle Obama have chosen the architectural team of Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects and Partners (TWBTA) and Interactive Design Architects (IDEA) to design the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. The Obama Foundation – started by the Obamas in 2014 to “inspire the next generation of young leaders across the world" – issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) to seven architectural firms in December. The shortlist, which was whittled
MVRDV's new library features a giant reflective 'eye' at its heart
by Kim Megson | 23 Jun 2016
MVRDV are nearing completion on a reflective “hollowed-out” library in Tianjin, China. The 34,200sq m (368,000sq ft) building – which has just topped out – is built around a mirrored spherical auditorium which, coupled with the main atrium, forms a giant eye that looks out at passers-by. Designed with the Tianjin Urban Planning and Design Institute (TUPDI), the Tianjin Binhai Library is being constructed as part of a larger plan
Herzog & de Meuron's National Library of Israel breaks ground in Jerusalem
by Kim Megson | 13 Apr 2016
Ground has broken on the latest project of Swiss architects Herzog and de Meuron: a new home for the National Library of Israel. The new building – which will replace the library’s current 1950s home, described as “outdated and barely serviceable” – is located in Jerusalem’s National District adjacent to Israel’s parliament building. When it opens in 2020, it will protect, preserve and showcase the country’s cultural and intellectual books,
EXCLUSIVE: Mecanoo's Francine Houben tells CLAD about the studio's renovation of New York Public Library
by Kim Megson | 30 Mar 2016
Mecanoo co-founder Francine Houben has told CLAD about the studio’s plans for their US$300m (€264m, £208m) renovation of New York’s iconic public library. In an exclusive interview featured in the latest issue of CLADmag, Houben revealed how the Dutch multidisciplinary practice are approaching the project – the latest in a string of high-profile libraries they have worked on. “We will approach the New York Public Library project the same way
Mecanoo win architecture competition to design Tainan Public Library and cultural centre
by Kim Megson | 22 Feb 2016
Dutch design studio Mecanoo have won the architecture competition to design the new Tainan Public Library in Taiwan. The firm – known for their innovative library designs, including the Stirling Prize-nominated Library of Birmingham and the forthcoming New York Public Library renovation – have proposed a 35,000sq m (376,700sq ft) building featuring a transparent stepped facade and below-grade courtyards. The library will feature a 200-seat auditorium, reading rooms, study spaces,
Jürgen Engel wins competition for jutting, glass-clad Shenzhen Art Museum and Library
by Kim Megson | 30 Nov 2015
German studio KSP Jurgen Engel Architekten have been named as the design team for the new Shenzhen Art Museum and Library complex in China. The firm were chosen ahead of several other shortlisted studios – including star names OMA, Steven Holl Architects and Mecanoo – to design the cultural hub, to be located in the southern province of Guangdong. KSP’s winning design consists of three elements – an art museum,
A feast for the eyes: French studio Peripheriques create a 'visionary' library on Reunion Island
by Kim Megson | 18 Nov 2015
A new media library on Réunion Island brings a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘eye-opening’, with enormous socket-shaped openings staring out from the structure’s facade towards the Indian Ocean. French architects Peripheriques are the team behind the unorthodox structure, located in the island’s French commune St Paul. Irregularly placed gaps across the exterior are intended to resemble eyes seeking knowledge and information from the collection of films and literature
Architects sought for Barack Obama's presidential library
by Tom Anstey | 19 Aug 2015
Having recently chosen Chicago, Illinois, as the host location for Barack Obama’s presidential library, The Barack Obama Foundation is now launching a competition to find an architect for the US President’s legacy project. The presidential library – a repository for preserving and making available the papers, records, collections and other historical materials of every President of the US since Herbert Hoover in 1929 – will be developed in partnership with
Seoul's Music Library and performance venue has resident DJ and epic vinyl collection
by Tom Anstey | 16 Jun 2015
A music library and performance venue in Seoul, South Korea – designed by Moongyu Choi of Ga.a Architects – has opened its doors, with a collection of more than 10,000 vinyls and 3,000 books available. With masterplanning by Choi and interior design by Gensler, the library is made up of large glass panels over two storeys. There is also a surrounding open-air space from which visitors can enjoy the sounds
company profile
Willmott Dixon delivers the social infrastructure that people depend on in their daily lives. We partner with our customers to focus on the services they want to provide, not just the building we construct, and we are committed to achieving a higher social purpose through our work.
Try cladmag for free!
Sign up with CLAD to receive our regular ezine, instant news alerts, free digital subscriptions to CLADweek, CLADmag and CLADbook and to request a free sample of the next issue of CLADmag.
sign up
features
Catalogue Gallery
Click on a catalogue to view it online
To advertise in our catalogue gallery: call +44(0)1462 431385
features
"Urban retreats are hard to find. There’s a segment of guests who’d welcome Six Senses hotels in urban locations"
Three years after Pegasus Capital bought Six Senses, how close is the private equity firm to realising its goals for its first spa and hospitality investment? Pegasus’ founder Craig Cogut tells us what’s been achieved and what comes next
Three years after Pegasus Capital bought Six Senses, how close is the private equity firm to realising its goals for its first spa and hospitality investment? Pegasus’ founder Craig Cogut tells us what’s been achieved and what comes next
features
cladkit product news
The Clematis design
The Botanicals is Siminetti’s newest Mother of Pearl decorative panelling collection, inspired by the distinctive patterns found in botany and
...
The event will be hosted in the Mauritius in 2024
Hospitality industry event Eco Resort Network is set to take place at the Ravenala Attitude Hotel, Turtle Bay, Mauritius, from
...
cladkit product news
Jaffe Holden provided architectural acoustics for the Academy Museum
Acoustical consulting firm Jaffe Holden provided architectural acoustics and audio/video design services for the recently opened Academy Museum of Motion
...
Mather & Co has transformed the visitor centre into the ultimate haven for ardent Coronation Street viewers
Experience designers, Mather & Co, have orchestrated a remarkable collaboration with ITV to unveil the new Coronation Street Experience, a
...
cladkit product news
Koto is known for crafting modular, energy-neutral cabins and homes
A striking wood-fired hot tub has been unveiled by Koto, an architecture and design studio which has a passion for
...
The furniture collection draws on absolute geometries, pure lines, neutral colours and strong references to nature
Furniture manufacturer Varaschin has unveiled the new Wellness Therapy range, designed by Italian spa and wellness architect and designer Alberto
...