Firstly there is obviously some thought into how to develop the site in a way to help the Town Centre. I think all Brent libraries have this potential to some extent, with Willesden and Wembley being perhaps the best examples. I like the way the author is trying to get the open space to fit in with the buildings and be part of a wider vision for the future of Ealing Road in what he calls a "gem chain strategy".
The picture above shows a kind of stylised Ealing Road with the library as one of the gems. The plan for the library itself is to have two wings, one with a cafe and one with some sort of " rentable community and enterprise hub".
The space between is a courtyard that can be used for outdoor events. According to the developer: "The public space will be truly public and accessible to all. The intention of the space is that for the majority of the week the space will act as an informal gathering and meeting space with adequate permanent public seating and cycle parking to service the existing library function and support the proposed new uses. The cafe will use the space for outdoor seating with furniture that is removed in the evenings. The library might also choose to run some of its activities in the space from time to time."
The whole thing is an interesting concept, and would help connect the public building to the public realm in an interesting way. I hope the designer, Mark Projects, doesn't mind me using both photo above and his rather old school model:
Further details can be found here.
1 comment:
You’re welcome to use these images James. I’m glad you think the project will be positive.
Mark.
Post a Comment