Not going by the book

Working with library evangelist Tim Coates and architects MackenzieWheeler, we were asked to develop a masterplan for Hillingdon's libraries, that would explore how the needs of different users could be accommodated, from the casual browser with a cup of coffee, to the mum reading to her children, to the serious studier. Our aim was to understand how they all related to each other, how they could co-exist, and how we could inspire each without alienating the others. Most of all, in an age of multi-use civic amenity sites, we wanted to still make each space look like a library, dedicated to the joy of the written word.

Different worlds

Within each library we have been able to create open-plan rooms with different atmospheres - enclosing and bookish for the dedicated researcher, light and open for the browsers.

By putting the writing on the wall, and writ large too, we hope to inspire readers not just to delve deeper into subjects that they already have an appreciation for, but to catch glimpses of literary worlds that they might never have come to.

Renewals

Industry trade magazine The Bookseller, which followed the redevelopment keenly, reported a stunning growth in library usage at the first redeveloped site - Ruislip Manor. On the first day of opening, the library stamped out more books than it used to do in a week, and long-term, library usage has doubled.