The Library at Willesden Green
by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris
Client London Borough of Brent Council
Awards RIBA London Award 2017
Located at the intersection of High Road and Brondesbury Park, The Library at Willesden Green forms part of a wider masterplan for the site, replacing a former 1970’s library building and large surface car park. The masterplan densifies the site, allowing a large portion of it to be developed for residential use. This has given the London Borough of Brent the financial capacity to commission a new public building and external public spaces.
The 1894 Willesden Library has been retained as a popular local landmark, integrated into the new building through a sensitive conversion into a new public room. The project re-interprets the library typology as a flexible public building with a dense programme. This includes a performing arts space, café, gallery, archive and museum space.
AHMM have skilfully manipulated a simple atrium plan to create a legible layout, which both captures light and provides visual connections between all spaces and the exterior. The design of the building has been controlled, well detailed and is visually enriched through the expression of its facades and internal artwork. The project is an exemplar of sustainability and is being well used by all sectors of the community, becoming an important community asset for Brent.
Contractor Galliford Try
Structural Engineers URS
Services Engineer URS
Planning Consultant URS
Access Consultant David Bonnett Associates
Landscape Architects Gillespies
Internal Area 4,171.8 m²
