Everyspace, Cambridgeshire, UK
Everyspace is a council initiative working with local people to transform existing libraries into versatile spaces that expand the library’s functionality
Even in the digital age, books remain an important source of knowledge and inspiration for communities in Cambridgeshire. But, libraries also need to respond to broader educational and social needs.
In a series of open workshops Jan Kattein Architects established that there was a need to improve digital literacy and to provide access to specialised tools including video editing and sound recording equipment and photographic kit. Working with existing education providers that already operate from the library, they defined a brief for demonstration and learning spaces.
People’s enthusiasm for expanding the library offer was matched by their eagerness to update the reading experience.
One of their principal design challenges was to create space for communal experiences as well as providing for concentrated study and immersive reading. The design resolved into a family of complementary toolboxes, each with a specialist function.
There is a mobile podcasting room, a photographic studio on wheels, immersive reading pods, a media editing suite and a classroom in a box. A suspended power grid, stage lighting and curtains free up the plan.
Building flexibility into the design means that it can accommodate change, can cater for different group sizes and be adapted for as yet unknown future uses.
