RPP Architects, working in close collaboration with US firm Shepley Bullfinch Richardson Abbott, were project architects and contract administrators for the prestigious McClay Library at Queen’s University Belfast.
Situated in close proximity to the Lanyon Building – one of Belfast’s best-known landmark buildings – a major requirement in the design of the new library was to ensure it would fit in with its historic neighbours whilst fulfilling all the requirements of an innovative, modern library.
The building provides accommodation for 2000 readers and incorporates space for 1.5 million volumes. Common reader spaces, ‘quiet zones’, historic/special collections, artefact display, digital media and innovative ‘socio-educational’ environments, where students can enjoy the benefits of collaborative learning, are all symbolic of a building where the internal environment has been tailored to meet specific and exacting conditions.
Sustainability and low carbon technologies were central to the design development of the McClay Library. This award-winning library has been the recipient of many accolades including a BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) rating of ‘Very Good’.
