Studio Weave’s Lea Bridge Library extension has given the east London facility a broader community role
The way this library extension captured its next-door green space impressed the MacEwen judges. On a chill wintery day the plants are not the showstoppers, but trees do dominate the small park that Lea Bridge Library in east London looks out onto.
As babies are bounced on knees to a singalong in the extension, it is easy to see how the plentiful space, connection with nature and scalloped timber lining can allow parents, carers and babies themselves to breathe more deeply and happily.
‘I applaud the council in their vision to transform the library and garden into playing a broader role in the community,’ says judge Kathy MacEwen.
The original red brick Edwardian library building didn’t connect with the run-down square of green behind it. A locked door and wall saw to that. Instead, it steadfastly maintained its civic duty facing onto the busy and rather weary Lea Bridge Road.
The pocket park wasn’t such an asset either. Studio Weave’s founding director Je Ahn wore his steel toe capped boots on his first visit to protect him from discarded needles.
The extension, which Ahn refers to as a ‘lean-to’, has breathed new life into a library that was more shut than open and had only 3,000 visits a month. That number is now up to 12,000, matched by longer opening hours and around 150 events each month. Yes, there has been investment, and with the new flats alongside the River Lea there are also more people living locally. But it is not simply those and space that have made a difference. It is also beauty.
The budget, including £411,000 from the Greater London Authority’s Good Growth Fund and £600,000 from local developers, didn’t look like it would allow for any beautiful flourishes; in fact they seem to have arrived serenely from the very restrictions of the site. By borrowing the cloak (and structure) of the party wall, the building saves as much as 30 per cent of the potential cladding needed. It also sets up a strong relationship with the garden, which has been reworked and replanted. By working around – ‘pinching in’, says Ahn – and ‘stepping up’ over tree roots with lightweight foundations, the design saved money on extensive ground works. Accommodating the trees also created the curves and modulations that, inside and out, give this building great character and lightness.
Inside, an exploration of waste from trees felled in public streets and parks has diverted 25m3 of timber from a short life as woodchips to a warm interior. Working with skilled joinery subcontractor Sebastian Cox and a router, a series of slim scalloped timber profiles of many timbers – from London plane to sequoia and Turkey oak – came to line the walls, giving it an unexpected sense of quality for a modern local authority library. This matches the chairs, sofas, tables and banquettes, also made from these London trees.
In this space with its curves, nooks and shelves, with quieter and noisier tables, events can be hosted, coffees and lunches savoured, yoga lessons run and kids coached for exams by their dads. I sat with other laptop users, enjoying the view, the timber details and the general hubbub on a winter afternoon as parents stayed on with young children to eat lunch and people met to share a coffee. Rooflights bring in extra light and allow natural ventilation.
A series of slim scalloped timber profiles gives an unexpected sense of quality
Alpa Depani, head of strategic planning and design at the London Borough of Waltham Forest, which commissioned the project, is clear about its achievements and benefits. ‘The Lea Bridge Library extension is a warm and generous addition that responds with care to both the existing historic building and the garden with its mature trees,’ she says. ‘It embeds sustainable principles and has been transformative in terms of opening up the possibilities for community life and activity, as proved by its popularity with a range of our residents.'
The once-unloved piece of parkland bounded by the library buildings, old and new, has been an important focus of the project’s second phase. The monoculture of muddy grass has been replaced with curving beds of climate-resilient planting with the emphasis on edibles – think herbs rather than tomatoes – assisted by landscape designer Tom Massey. But equally important are the groups helping to maintain it, building a culture of involvement, creativity and community alongside the activities of the building.
‘This project drew me in,’ said judge Mike Worthington. ‘It is certainly beautiful but also shows how libraries can adapt to remain as a centre for community interaction.’
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In numbers
GIA 234m2
Credits
Architect and landscape architect Studio Weave
Client London Borough of Waltham Forest
Fitted joinery and furniture Sebastian Cox
Structural engineer Timberwright
Services engineer and surveyor NPS London
Horticulture Tom Massey Studio