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Old Library
As part of Lister Steps’ mission to boost disadvantaged communities, the charity spotted an opportunity to reimagine the Andrew Carnegie Library in Liverpool as a multi-purpose space where people of all ages can thrive with space for childcare, community provisions, and rentable office space.
Efforts to save the Grade II-listed, dilapidated library, which had served the community for 100 years before closing in 2006, from further damage yielded funding from Liverpool City Council and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
| Client | Lister Steps |
|---|---|
| Architect: | OMI Architects |
| Size | 2 Stories | 53,819 SF (5,000 SM) |
| Sustainability | Saved from the ‘Buildings at Risk’ register |
| Office: | Hebden Bridge |
| Completion: | 2020 |
Our structural engineering team, collaborating closely with the architect, confronted the challenge posed by the need a ‘two-faced’ building, which needs both dedicated public and private spaces to serve the community and childcare, by dividing the space into two clearly separate functions—adding modern design flourishes while preserving the building’s historic charm.
Using traditional construction techniques, the lightweight structure provides clear spans and a new covered terrace leading out to the revitalized gardens.
One reading room has been entirely preserved and refurbished as the main multi-use space, while significant interventions made to the second reading room created a contemporary nursery space.
Distinctive, organic-shaped reading and meeting rooms—forming a pod on stilts—fills the space, containing rentable offices accessible from the first floor as well as making a joyful addition to the childcare space. Wrapped in fabric acoustic panels with strip lighting to the soffit, the space has been transformed from an echo-filled area into one primed for play, learning, and interaction.
A single-story extension provides a café and social space clad in ceramic tiles to complement the original internal detailing.
