30 | SPECIAL REPORT: LIBR ARIES | CAMPUS SERVICES Read a related story: click here
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ABOVE: Diane Job on site of the Birmingham Uni New Library RIGHT: Birmingham University library CGI mock-up
crossing an industrial interior with a curved stone facade designed to blend in among the historic surroundings. “The narrow, fin-like windows that run along the side of the library help,” says Virginia Malone, Information Services Manager at the University’s Avery Hill and Stockwell Street campuses. “They look great as an architectural feature, but they also let the public catch glimpses of what’s actually going on inside the building.” Her colleague, Director of Information and Library Services Paul Butler, chalks up the success to great communication with Heneghan Peng, the building’s architects: “If you look over their back catalogue of projects it’s clear that they value creative expression and possess a fastidious atention to detail.” The building represents the evolution
of the modern library – rather than simply being made up of archives or lecture halls, it combines teaching and learning spaces to form a complete campus. As such, it acts as a home to many of the University’s collaborative disciplines, with the Department of Architecture and Landscape and the Department of Creative Professions and Digital Arts now under one roof, sharing a large project space and gallery on the ground floor. Above this are 670 spaces, along with 10 bookable study rooms, while the lower floors also offer two training rooms along with 150 informal learning spaces; and whereas
“The emphasis has definitely changed from curating books to providing a service to the University community and beyond”
the University of Leeds has been focusing on interconnectivity across existing devices, Greenwich has chosen to loan their students the technology they need, with 40 iPads and 95 laptops available. Continuing the trend seen at
Birmingham and Leeds, the Stockwell Street Library progresses from social spaces to silent study in ascending levels, while a quiet study area lies hidden down in the basement. One of the greatest advantages of this layout is that it prevents noise leakage, which the University worked hard to eliminate. “We have state- of-the-art discreet baffling,” says Malone. “This is incorporated into the ceiling as a suspended system and integrated into the lighting systems. The furnishings and fairly dense shelving layouts also help reduce sound transfer. Visitors who came during the construction phase are amazed at how we have completely managed noise – we really can have a discussion group adjacent to a quiet study area without causing upset.” The standout feature at the Stockwell Street building, however, sits up on the
roof. “There are a total of 14 different roof spaces, each with its own planting and landscape types,” says Butler. “Spaces for vineyards, beehives, ponds, algaeponic and aquaponic research facilities – [all] create a living laboratory where the sustainability of new ideas in landscape and architecture can be tested and innovations developed and applied.” For this achievement, the green roof has been awarded a BREEAM Innovation credit, marking a huge leap forward for sustainable architecture in the city. Greenwich’s approach shows further
adaptation towards the increasingly collaborative and high-tech world of business which students must adapt to after graduation. Both Job and Paul Butler point to this change as part of the reason for the increasing focus on learning spaces in modern libraries, while Stella Butler believes it has also shifted the focus of information services altogether. “The emphasis has definitely changed from curating books to providing a service to the University community and beyond,” she says. Over at Greenwich, meanwhile, Malone feels that the growth in technology and architecture is helping to stretch the role of the librarian these days: “If a student has questions, we must have confidence in the answers we give, so we’ve all improved our own knowledge of technology,” she says. “We’re not just custodians in a warehouse of books.” UB
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