Longwall Library at Magdalen College University of Oxford, a Grade II* listed building, has been updated to better suit the building to the needs of modern day students. The project involved renovating the existing building and creating a new extension and landscaping plan.
The historic building, which was constructed in 1851 and converted into a library in 1930, had a leaky roof, a floor plate that cut across windows blocking light and ventilation, limited accessibility, and poor insulation. As a result, it was no longer considered fit for purpose.
Photo: © Dennis Gilbert.
Wright & Wright Architects was in charge of the improvement project and created a scheme that took the form of a giant inhabited bookcase and inserted it within the shell of the original 1851 building. A plinth-like extension was also created that extends into the campus’s quad. The Victorian architecture of the building was restored, which included the roof being re-laid with tiles in local Cotswold Stone placed over new insulation. The updated building is passively controlled and achieved an air tightness of 3.7m3/h.m2.
The insertion and new extension create accommodation for 120 readers, group working areas, seminar spaces, staff facilities, and storage for 3,200 linear meters of shelving, half of which is high density mobile storage racks.
Photo: © Dennis Gilbert.
The landscaping work includes lush planting and stone seating to create an outdoor common area in a formerly neglected corner of the campus.
Additional improvements:
- Restored the windows to their full height
- Introduced air through low-level windows
- Opened up the original eaves ventilation, chimneys, and spiral staircase to use every cavity
- Added opening roof lights concealed behind the parapet
- Added insulation to the roof and beneath the floor
- Introduced secondary glazing carefully composed behind the existing glazing
- Integrated small, low-energy heaters at readers’ feet
- Incorporated LED lights and user-controlled PIR to improve efficiency
Photo: © Dennis Gilbert.
Photo: © Dennis Gilbert.
Related Stories
| Nov 9, 2010
Designing a library? Don’t focus on books
How do you design a library when print books are no longer its core business? Turn them into massive study halls. That’s what designers did at the University of Amsterdam, where they transformed the existing 27,000-sf library into a study center—without any visible books. About 2,000 students visit the facility daily and encounter workspaces instead of stacks.
| Nov 3, 2010
Seattle University’s expanded library trying for LEED Gold
Pfeiffer Partners Architects, in collaboration with Mithun Architects, programmed, planned, and designed the $55 million renovation and expansion of Lemieux Library and McGoldrick Learning Commons at Seattle University. The LEED-Gold-designed facility’s green features include daylighting, sustainable and recycled materials, and a rain garden.
| Oct 13, 2010
Bookworms in Silver Spring getting new library
The residents of Silver Spring, Md., will soon have a new 112,000-sf library. The project is aiming for LEED Silver certification.
| Aug 11, 2010
JE Dunn, Balfour Beatty among country's biggest institutional building contractors, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 50 Institutional Contractors based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
Jacobs, Arup, AECOM top BD+C's ranking of the nation's 75 largest international design firms
A ranking of the Top 75 International Design Firms based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
Harvard Public Library
Harvard, Mass.
Five years ago, the town of Harvard, Mass., which lies about 30 miles west of Boston, faced two problems. First, its iconic public schoolhouse, known as Old Bromfield, which was built in 1877, had become outdated. So, too, had its public library, which had no room to grow on its site.
| Aug 11, 2010
Gilbane, Whiting-Turner among nation's largest university contractors, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 50 University Contractors based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit /giants
