London-based architecture practice Studio Weave has extended the Grade-II listed Lea Bridge Library in East London, adding a cafe and adaptable community space with improved connection to the library’s gardens, resulting in a revived civic heart for the Borough of Waltham Forest. To connect the local and future community as the neighborhood undergoes a period of cultural growth and regeneration, Studio Weave explored the changing role of a library in modern civic infrastructure conceiving a new wing that offers places to work, learn, socialize, and gather.
Studio Weave utilized the existing western garden wall as a structural spine, anchoring the structure and bulk of the building to one side, ensuring a seamless, open connection to the gardens. Cantilevered beams of high strength laminated veneer lumber (LVL) support a length of overhead glazing and floating ceiling of timber battens. Floor to ceiling glazing along the entire east elevation invites the outdoors in, creating a visual and physical connection to Friendship Gardens.
“In becoming the first London Borough of Culture, Waltham Forest made a commitment to ‘culture on every corner’ with libraries at the heart of that ambition. Studio Weave has delivered a modern library and fit for the next generation. The architecture of the new pavilion has revitalized and captured the enormous potential of the precinct, creating a new civic heart for our Borough,” stated Aydin Sipaloglu, Head of Services, London Borough of Waltham Forest.
The new 250 square meter wing sits to the rear of the Edwardian red brick library and occupies the Western boundary of the site, designed to lightly touch the existing heritage building and its green space, Friendship Gardens. The architects designed the new Lea Bridge Library extension to sit harmoniously in between existing mature trees in Friendship Gardens, resulting in a rectangular floor plan punctuated by a striking semi-circular glass cut out. The pavilion curves in and steps up at a central pinch point to protect the root system of a close-neighboring mature Common Lime tree.
The architects also used this momentary squeeze in the plan created by the sweeping concave glass as an opportunity to divide the pavilion. A pivoting timber door hangs flush with wall joinery and swings across to create a flexible private events space, offering a valuable community asset while also future proofing a further revenue stream for the library. A long colonnade stretches the length of the new extension, featuring a gently graded natural stone walkway to ensure level access to the rear event space. A facade of gently zig-zagging red precast concrete panels and columns nod to the tone of the brick used in the existing library, and conceal drainage which captures and redirects water down to the tree roots below the building.
Accessibility is central to the success and popular use of the Lea Bridge Library Pavilion. Studio Weave designed two new access points to draw visitors in through the gardens at the side and rear of the site, bypassing the library’s quiet zone. The main entrance and foyer on Lea Bridge Road has been refurbished to include new wash facilities, buggy parking and an upstairs staff room. From the foyer, the new cafe welcomes visitors before opening into the main space. The open plan layout can be adapted for a range of cultural, recreational and community activities and be used at different times of day by different local groups and library users.
The architects’ rigorous approach to sustainability is felt throughout the building. Studio Weave has delicately balanced a light, open plan community space that benefits from a considered passive cooling strategy supported by mechanical heat recovery ventilation (MVHR). The ceiling is carefully positioned to protect the exposed aggregate floor from direct sunlight, and the continuous glass wall opens at intervals to allow for natural cross ventilation.
“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. 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,” adds Alpa Depani, Head of Strategic Planning and Design, Waltham Forest Council.
Reuse is a strong theme throughout the new pavilion. All internal joinery and furniture timber was salvaged from trees felled across the publicly owned streets and parks across London in an effort to reduce the carbon footprint of the pavilion and reuse existing waste materials. The species of trees salvaged include London plane, Poplar, Sycamore, Ash, Holm Oak, Turkey Oak, Sequoia, Horse Chestnut and more, and add a rich variety of textures and tones to the custom designed fitted and loose furniture.
A continuous wall of fluted timber joinery connects bookshelves with in-built banquette seating, creating interspersed open reading ‘rooms’. Studio Weave worked closely with local furniture maker Sebastian Cox, to design in-built banquette with fluted timber shelving that stretches along the pavilion, reinforcing the link to the library while creating a natural visual language which is echoed by the trees outside in Friendship Gardens. Cox also designed custom tables, chairs and sofas for the new space, all crafted from 25 cubic meters of waste timber.
“The Lea Bridge Library project is a terrific example of how we can repurpose publicly owned assets to better address local needs, one of the key aims of the Good Growth Fund. By revitalizing and extending the existing library with such a high-quality piece of architecture, the space will offer a more diverse range of uses for the benefit of the local community whilst promoting an exemplar approach to environmental sustainability,” stated Jules Pipe, Deputy Mayor for Planning, Regeneration and Skills.
The extension has revived the library as a key cultural and community hub through which social cohesion is fostered, offering events, activities and opportunities to empower local residents. According to the architects, the extension is always brimming with occupants; children’s parties on weekends, students, mother’s groups, and workshop attendees each week. Where the library offers access to a wealth of knowledge, Studio Weave’s architecture offers an open public asset and space for the community to share experiences.
“We envisaged the Lea Bridge Library extension as a hybridized public space; a new town hall with wider opportunities for citizens to participate more fully in public life. Hybridized public spaces combine and maximize collective resources, and are unexpected engine rooms for community connection. Since completing the new library extension, as locals we have witnessed firsthand the impact it has had on the community. We are proud to have contributed an environmentally-focused space for Leyton’s social and cultural growth,” concluded Je Ahn, Director, Studio Weave.
