Photography by Jim Stephenson
A striking refurbishment and extension of Lea Bridge Library in East London has seen the addition of an adaptable wood-lined community space and café, creating an inspiring and dynamic space in which to work, learn and socialise.
The 250m2 single-storey wing features a mass timber primary structure to improve access and connection to the public gardens, bringing a new lease of life to this Grade-II Listed Edwardian library.
In order to accommodate the constraints of the historic setting and the protected mature trees, structural engineer, Andrew Trotman, has developed a lightweight ‘pavilion’ in both form and construction methodology.
The elongated footprint of the building extends from the original library building and runs along the perimeter wall of the green, planted area called Friendship Gardens. Tapered LVL beams support a length of floor-to-ceiling overhead glazing along the entire east elevation. By anchoring the structure and bulk of the building to one side, this continuous, open connection to the gardens is generated.
The refurbished main entrance and foyer leads to a new café, before opening into the main community centre, where the dividable open plan layout contains interspersed ‘reading room’ spaces.
With reuse at the heart of the project, salvaged wood from trees felled across London is used for all the internal joinery
and furniture. A ribbon of skylights fills the interior with light, picking up the varying tones of the patchworked wood.
Architect, Studio Weave, worked closely with furniture designer and maker Sebastian Cox to develop a continuous wall of fluted timber joinery that connects shelving with built-in banquette seating. Cox also designed and made custom desks, collapsible tables, coffee tables, stackable chairs and upholstered sofas for the pavilion.
Fallen and Felled, a London-based company set up with the intention of reducing wastage of timber in the capital, helped Cox to source, mill and plane the timber for the project.
Highly visible from the street, the completed scheme transforms what used to be a blank wall and deteriorating garden into a delightfully animated and welcoming public resource.
The project was shortlisted for The Wood Awards, the UK’s premier competition for excellence in architecture and product design in wood.=
As the most comprehensive supply chain body for timber in the UK, TDUK is a crucial resource that connects, inspires and supports more than 1500 business to “build a better world through wood”. For further details of this project, and access to TDUK’s full library of 174 technical case studies free of charge, sign up on its website.
Location: London
Completion date: 2021
Architect: Studio Weave
Client: London Borough of Waltham Forest
Structural engineer: Andrew Trotman, Timberwright
Main contractor: Cosmur Construction
Furniture & Carpentry: Sebastian Cox
M&E Consultant: NPS London
Wood suppliers: Sebastian Cox (reclaimed timber only), Metsä
Photography: Jim Stephenson & Studio Weave
Products: Structural LVL, European Spruce (Norway); European Oak; Reclaimed timber: London plane, poplar, sycamore, ash, Holm oak, Turkey oak, sequoia, horse chestnut and more.
