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
| 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 First, its iconic public schoolhouse, known as Old Bromfield, which was built in 1877, had become outdated.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
| Aug 11, 2010
AASHE releases annual review of sustainability in higher education
The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) has announced the release of AASHE Digest 2008, which documents the continued rapid growth of campus sustainability in the U.S. and Canada. The 356-page report, available as a free download on the AASHE website, includes over 1,350 stories that appeared in the weekly AASHE Bulletin last year.
| Aug 11, 2010
Burt Hill, HOK top BD+C's ranking of the nation's 100 largest university design firms
A ranking of the Top 100 University 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
Jacobs, HDR top BD+C's ranking of the nation's 100 largest institutional building design firms
A ranking of the Top 100 Institutional 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
College uses renewable materials in new library
A 93,000-sf Library and Academic Resource Center will replace Los Angeles Valley College's 1960s-vintage library. Pfeiffer Partners Architects designed the building to be consistent with the college's master plan, with its learning clusters and arcade circulation system. To obtain LEED certification, the center will use recycled and renewable materials, such as bamboo.
| Aug 11, 2010
Northeast Lakeview College opens in Texas, to serve 15,000 students
After four years of construction, Northeast Lakeview College, the newest addition to Alamo Colleges, is complete. Designed by Overland Partners Architects in collaboration with Ford Powell & Carson, the nine-building, 285-acre campus in Universal City, near San Antonio, will serve up to 15,000 students.
