Arcadia gets the 'Manchester Look'

The library, designed and furnished by Demco Interiors, is an integral part of the centre, with access to a wide range of library services and PCs with free Wifi, an exciting children’s library, comfy seating areas, study spaces and on and offline media, including books for all ages and interests.

The library is managed by Manchester Libraries and will be staffed for 30 hours a week. Self-service lending will be available throughout the centre’s opening hours.

Over the past ten years Manchester Libraries have carried out a renewal programme to rebuild or refresh libraries across their estate. This has allowed them to develop ‘The Manchester Look’, a design theme that underpins the interior design of the new Arcadia library.

Michaela Lancaster, Head of Design and Products at Demco Interiors said: “Before submitting our proposal we reviewed the original refurbishments so that we had a good understanding of the principles underlying the Manchester Look. We then introduced some key features to give the Arcadia Library its own personality and create a unique destination for members of the Levenshulme community.”

A customer-friendly layout

Although an open plan space, Demco’s design used colours and intelligent use of contemporary furnishings to create discrete, but clearly zoned children, adult, teen and IT areas. Circulation routes between the zones balance library shelving, study tables and seating in an intuitive, customer-friendly way and are, of course, DDA compliant. A blend of shelving, computers and seating areas allows visitors to find and use their own space within the library, making it a welcoming and informal environment. All furnishings meet the high specification required for a demanding public space with a high footfall.

Exciting new features, guaranteed to attract the attention of parents and children, include the funky bespoke children’s bright pink curved seating with built-in shelving to create pockets of stock. For adults, bespoke seating and study positions for BYOD users make the best use of space by being placed around structural columns.

Demco’s promotional and quick pick display units are placed strategically to attract the attention of visitors both inside and outside the library space.

The Levenshulme community finally has a modern library space which blends seamlessly into the wider leisure area, creating a single destination for a mind and body experience!