The Library
The Library is a place in which every student feels they are welcome, and every student feels they belong.
Academic work is changing for young people. Employers and universities demand that those who come to them are already comfortable with fluent oracy, with group-work dynamics, with informational literacy. This building will redefine what is possible in a school Library, demonstrating how these spaces of education can nurture and develop young people who are properly attuned to the needs of the world that sits beyond the school gate.
"Building the library around the child"
The building’s spatial heterogeneity is critical to this. One structure; many spaces. Within its walls a curious student will find numerous different locations, each meticulously crafted to provide an architectural setting for the task in hand. If they seek to practice their presentation skills, an auditorium awaits.
If they need to settle down with classmates to work on a project together, they can find themselves in group work rooms, encouraging them to be dynamic and active in their shared learning. If they need the guidance of an experienced Librarian who can teach them to winnow and sieve information, to identify things that are true and relevant for their question at hand, they will find them here. If they want to hunker down with a book in a calming corner and lose themselves, they will have many comfy alcoves from which to choose.
The Library has been specifically designed with neurodivergence in mind. From these concerns, every student will benefit. Its booths, its calming colours and textures, its plants and gardens: they all provide rest to the restless mind, providing a sense of quiet and light that support concentration and promote a soothing focus.
In furthering traditions, we have chosen not to expect the student to conform to the Library. Rather, we have imagined a space that builds itself around the needs of an individual students, whomever they may be. Whatever task or instinct has brought them through its doors, they will find a space to suit them. It will stand as a new home, right in the heart of the site, for the curious mind.
