grade I listed) and the later kitchen extensions. The current library was built in the 1970s, and its design created small, cramped areas within that allow study space for just 60 students and provide poor staff facilities. Its proposed demolition will create a rare opportunity to build within the site of one of Cambridge’s oldest colleges. The architects view this as a challenge to create an exciting and inspiring design. The proposed new library makes maximum
use of the limited area available, increasing the space within the building from 405m2 1,200m2
to . The results will create “more than a
library”. The entrance approach from First Court will be improved. Reading spaces will be increased to 117 readers. The improvements will see the inclusion of digital study spaces, all contained within a mixture of open and closed shelving. Staff facilities will be enhanced and a rare books reading room with associated storage will be incorporated. Most notably, a new connection will be made through to the first floor of the adjacent Old Library, designed by Bodley in 1895, so the two buildings can be used in conjunction. The new library will also provide meeting rooms, an exhibition space and café. The café will be housed in the new Library
Court, currently an inactive space containing fire escapes which will receive a new level floor and a glass canopy above to become a covered communal space linking the library and the buttery. The new library will sit adjacent to the
oldest wall of the college, the historic wall of the First Court range. The Feasibility Study, prepared by the
architects, sets out the intention for the new building to have as little physical impact as possible on the college’s historic buildings. The glazed canopy covering First Court is supported from the new library. The detailing has not yet been finalised for how it will meet the historic wall of First Court, but a novel and sensitive connection between the new and the old can be expected from the designers. The new library seeks to reduce its
environmental footprint and will incorporate a ground source heat pump for heating and cooling. The high thermal mass of the structure will allow it to absorb, store and later radiate heat, stabilising the internal temperature. A major consideration when designing the
new library was the possible interruption of sightlines from First
Court.Another concern was that the new façade fronting on to Christ’s Lane was not seen to be overpowering. The possibility of incorporating shops at ground level to enliven Christ’s Lane and provide potential income for the college was considered, but because shops would need a large floor-to-ceiling height this meant that the library building would compromise views from First Court, and would dwarf Christ’s Lane as feared. The current proposal for the new library does not include shops, and with the introduction of a
sunken basement achieves a scale that does not interrupt sightlines but still provides a level of interaction with Christ’s Lane through its street fenestration. The façade design takes cues from the Bodley Library, but the architectural language is contemporary. Glazed bay windows set at irregular intervals add life to a simple and sensitive façade. The placement of the windows on the other façades deliberately create framed views of the existing buildings within the covered court reinforcing the connection of the new building to the Bodley Library and the college as a whole. The SPAB has been broadly supportive of
The Library Court at Christ’s College, Cambridge, as it might appear should the scheme for expansion of facilities drawn up by Rick Mather Architects be approved
the proposals and does not object to the removal and replacement of the 1970s building. It considers the decision to take a contemporary design approach for the new building to be laudable. The Society has requested further information about the design of the glazed canopy that will cover the courtyard area – in particular how it will form a junction with the historic First Court buildings – but supports the proposal in principle, feeling that it will make good use of the space and create a sensible covered link to the buttery. Finally, noting that the sunken basement of the new library building will reach a depth well below that of the existing library the SPAB encouraged that an archaeological survey of the area be carried out when work begins.
Elaine Byrne Cornerstone, Vol 32, No 2 2011 13
RICK MATHER ARCHITECTS
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