The scheme brings character and joy back into this vital learning space to stimulate learning and replaces an unwelcoming dark compressed space which was cluttered with desks, chairs and disparate items of furniture.
The design was informed by discussions with teachers and pupils at an early stage in the design process. The client’s principal ambition was to transform the existing facility into a state of the art, and light-filled children’s library with inherent flexibility to respond to the needs of both current and future staff and pupils.
Situated on the ground floor of the school’s Grade II listed Victorian building, the space is characterised by a map of Narnia, the fictitious land in C.S. Lewis’s classic books, illustrated across the full width of the resin floor. This enchanting motif introduces an element of fantasy to captivate young readers.
Other design features include a royal blue alcove with curving steps, which makes a grand setting for storytelling, and oversized circular upholstered seats in bright pink and royal blue.
The desk for the librarian is constructed from 875 books set within a frame made of Hi-Macs. Low-level mobile units on rollers encourage pupils to rummage through the collection of books. Quotes above bookshelves provide inspiration and direct young readers to classic authors.
The existing window reveals were clad with joinery incorporating bookcases and a free-flowing, organic seating feature that forms a series of wonderfully over scaled perches for children to sit and read beneath the natural light flooding in from the south. The joinery is set against a yellow backdrop to reflect natural daylight and colour deep into the space.
