library

location: gordon, nsw
size: 3500m2 internal
completed: 2011
photography: john gollings photography
project: undertaken as project leader at BVN

“In its Elegant Planning, the Sheer Delight of the Library Space, and Strong Sculptural Presence, the Mabel Fidler Building Expresses the Aspirations of a Community and is a Fine Model for a School of the Future”

Jury citation - 2012 Sir John Sulman Medal for Outstanding Public Architecture

A state-of-the-art library and new school hub that facilitates an individualised approach to learning bears little resemblance to traditional library design. The design caters to all students, with the flexibility and opportunity for students to come together in large groups or retreat to quiet spaces for individual reading. An large timber stair serves the double purpose of connecting and  providing ‘grandstand’ seating to share a lecture.

By raising the library onto the upper level of the building, dramatic 16m cantilevers provide covered spaces where informal learning can take place. 

The building brings together both passive and active design solutions to sustainability and allows the initiatives to be utilised in the education program for students. The narrow floorplates allow for ample natural light and a variety of different spaces; the translucent nature of the facade allows glimpses of the structure and internal uses from the outside. All windows are operable and positioned to allow natural cross ventilation, while a translucent double skin facade creates a cavity that in winter is kept closed to retain heat and in summer opens automatically to release heat.