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
Giants 400 | Nov 6, 2023
Top 110 Cultural Facility Architecture Firms for 2023
Populous, Gensler, HGA, DLR Group, and Quinn Evans top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest cultural facilities sector architecture and architecture engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report. Note: This ranking includes revenue from all cultural building sectors, including concert venues, art galleries, museums, performing arts centers, and public libraries.
Mass Timber | Sep 1, 2023
Community-driven library project brings CLT to La Conner, Wash.
The project, designed by Seattle-based architecture firm BuildingWork, was conceived with the history and culture of the local Swinomish Indian Tribal Community in mind.
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2023
Top 115 Architecture Engineering Firms for 2023
Stantec, HDR, Page, HOK, and Arcadis North America top the rankings of the nation's largest architecture engineering (AE) firms for nonresidential building and multifamily housing work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2023
2023 Giants 400 Report: Ranking the nation's largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms
A record 552 AEC firms submitted data for BD+C's 2023 Giants 400 Report. The final report includes 137 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2023
Top 175 Architecture Firms for 2023
Gensler, HKS, Perkins&Will, Corgan, and Perkins Eastman top the rankings of the nation's largest architecture firms for nonresidential building and multifamily housing work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Standards | Jun 26, 2023
New Wi-Fi standard boosts indoor navigation, tracking accuracy in buildings
The recently released Wi-Fi standard, IEEE 802.11az enables more refined and accurate indoor location capabilities. As technology manufacturers incorporate the new standard in various devices, it will enable buildings, including malls, arenas, and stadiums, to provide new wayfinding and tracking features.
Libraries | Mar 26, 2023
An abandoned T.J. Maxx is transformed into a new public library in Cincinnati
What was once an abandoned T.J. Maxx store in a shopping center is now a vibrant, inviting public library. The Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library (CHPL) has transformed the ghost store into the new Deer Park Library, designed by GBBN.
Libraries | Feb 26, 2023
A $17 million public library in California replaces one that was damaged in a 2010 earthquake
California’s El Centro community, about two hours east of San Diego, recently opened a new $17 million public library. With design by Ferguson Pape Baldwin Architects and engineering services by Latitude 33 Planning & Engineering, the 19,811-sf building replaces the previous library, which was built in the early 1900s, damaged by a 7.2 earthquake that struck Baja California in 2010, and demolished in 2016.
Giants 400 | Feb 9, 2023
New Giants 400 download: Get the complete at-a-glance 2022 Giants 400 rankings in Excel
See how your architecture, engineering, or construction firm stacks up against the nation's AEC Giants. For more than 45 years, the editors of Building Design+Construction have surveyed the largest AEC firms in the U.S./Canada to create the annual Giants 400 report. This year, a record 519 firms participated in the Giants 400 report. The final report includes 137 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.
Giants 400 | Feb 6, 2023
2022 Reconstruction Sector Giants: Top architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S. building reconstruction and renovation sector
Gensler, Stantec, IPS, Alfa Tech, STO Building Group, and Turner Construction top BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest reconstruction sector architecture, engineering, and construction firms, as reported in the 2022 Giants 400 Report.
