Eltham Public Library, Greenwich, London

In late 2021, The Design Concept were appointed by Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL) to deliver an end-to-end design and fit out for Eltham Library, as part of a major library refurbishment.

The main area of the library, dedicated to adult and teen literature, underwent a complete makeover, with our team’s expertise contributing to all design elements.

In addition to a striking new design, the new adult area delivers further evidence of our commitment to sustainable consumerism, with all shelving units from the old library being repurposed or upcycled, and reused in the new area to negate the need for new ones.

Enjoying great popularity since the creation of its enchanted story garden in 2018, the children’s area at Eltham Library presented our design team with the challenging task of enhancing its looks and user experience even further. Recognising the success of the existing theme, our solution focuses on elevating the enchanted garden experience with the introduction of bespoke visual and interactive design features.

With the new children’s area now located very centrally in what was previously an open plan atrium, an additional challenge involved the clear demarcation of the new area, as well as its segregation from other library functions. To address that, acoustic panels customised with bespoke and vibrant graphics were installed in the area’s surroundings, creating the required segregation whilst contributing to the area’s visual features.

he new facilities now feature an even more vibrant and interactive space, prominently positioned at the centre of the library and serving as one of its signature features.