OMI's resurrection of a century-old library as a community hub safeguards the much-loved structure and won Lister Steps the North West RIBA Client of the Year Award
North West
OMI for Lister Steps
Contract value: £1m
GIA: 983m2
Cost per m2: £3100
After 100 years in use, Tuebrook’s Carnegie library closed in 2006, and fell into disrepair. Its resurrection as a charity-run community hub safeguards the much-loved structure and generates great social value from a limited budget. There is something for everyone – a nursery, homework space for teenagers, a cafe and an events hall – and a delightful sense of ordered chaos in the eclectic mix structured by an intelligent plan. Sensitive restoration has preserved the building’s character, and additions are both sympathetic and playful: within one large hall offices are in a faceted mezzanine on slender columns, preserving the volume of the original room; a small ceramic-clad extension echoes tilework in the original building; and a slide leads from the first floor to an outdoor play area.
North West RIBA Regional Award 2022
North West RIBA Client of the Year Award 2022
See the rest of the North West winners here
And all the RIBA Regional Awards here