Hackney Central Library - Embracing Heritage, Nature, and Neighbourhood

Libraries must change, grow, and rethink their purpose, and we applaud the forward-thinking approach of the library leadership and teams, who we believe have struck the perfect balance with this library.

Working with artists and designers Sion Ap Tomos, Skye Baker and Emily Jost, who created the artwork and patterns with the help of over 100 children, we integrated the artwork seamlessly into the overall design.

The artwork in the library is nothing short of spectacular. Key furniture pieces and bespoke elements used throughout pair well with all this creativity.

The library's development team worked closely with artists and children from the local schools (Gayhurst Primary and Stormont House), who helped create the inspiring mural in the children’s area. 

Next to where the library stands was once the home of the Loddiges’ Nursery’s palm house - the largest hot house in Europe at the time, renowned for its biophilic wonders. The refurbished library embraces that rich heritage.

Hackney as a borough is a historically diverse and culturally rich area, founding grassroots art movements and upholding strong traditions that bleed into the ‘Hackneyness’ spirit.

To honor this, our designers researched the global trade in plants and trees, as the famous glass house was built in 1825 to showcase trees and plants from across the globe.

The specific greenery details of the resulting artwork were paired with natural lighting hues to embrace biophilic design which have proven benefits for mental wellbeing.

This clear use of flora helped us reimagine the background of the space within modern design in a positive and uplifting way.

Placing social gathering and collective study areas throughout the library, allow users to intermix with those around them or find their own solo haven in some of the lounge areas or even in the shelves - we call this room-within-room. Informational staff points and clear wayfinding was introduced throughout the design and adaptable seating /desking solutions was provided for heightened accessibility.

Gone is the old colour scheme of the library, replaced with much more vibrant and inviting finishes that makes the mind more open to creativity, focused study and reading time.

Zones were coordinated to shape multi-generationalism, shown with the curved open-exposure of the children’s section leading through to the rest of the library. Perfect for parents and their little ones to simultaneously enjoy their community hub of literature and learning together. The biophilic features in the children’s library further highlights the overall theme with sensory exposure, such as our acoustic soft seating and interactive light/sound elements in the sensory huts.

As a team, we always make sure to work closely with our community pillars, whether it be council representatives, library users or the amazing librarians and development teams who support them. We’re grateful to have had such a forward-thinking experience with the Hackney Central Library team throughout the entire process. This project is an example of how a client and a design team can collaborate and share ideas, resulting in a very special outcome that we know will be admired far and wide.

FSC certified wood and other natural materials were foundational to the key pieces we selected to go hand-in-hand with this theme.

Residents from the local community also contributed to the very special artwork that has been used in bold wallpaper as well as bespoke fabric on key furniture throughout the library.

Artist Jazz Grant created the mural ‘To Travel this Ship’ in celebration of the Windrush generation, of which she is a descendent.

A key design direction was to make the best use of the 3 light-wells in the space to incentivise natural productivity, with study stations being strategically placed beneath them to add to the user experience.

Students use Hackney Central Library actively and we wanted to ensure that the interior design could  accommodate many different user groups across generations. That way, everyone can find their "own space" in the library - regardless of the goal is to relax, study or socialise.