Architectural
glazing systems by leading UK manufacturer Kawneer were specified for the most
significant external change to the £3.6 million refurbishment of a library at one
of Kent's most prestigious independent boys' schools.
Kawneer's AA®100
mullion-drained curtain walling with bespoke fin caps and AA®541 concealed
vents along with AA®720 entrance doors feature on a stunning new 13.5m high
circulation tower topped by an AA®100 rooflight at the Smythe
Library at Tonbridge School.
They were specified
by architects BDP to drive a simple natural ventilation strategy and enable
high levels of natural light and were installed on the south elevation of the
1962 building for main contractor Buxton Building Contractors by JPJ
Installations.
Kawneer's curtain
walling with the bespoke fin caps in front of steel columns also features on a
two-storey extension to the north elevation. This faces the school chapel and
acts as an extension to the cloister or colonnade which joins the library to the
main school.
The
school recognised the building, which was designed by Sir William Holford, no
longer fulfilled the demands of a 21st Century learning
environment and although it is not listed, as many of its buildings are, wanted
to build on its history rather than resort to new-build.
The new building
also needed to meet rising school numbers - from 500 pupils when the library
opened more than half a century ago, to almost 800 now. But providing
additional learning and study spaces was a particular challenge given its
narrow 8.3m width.
The library itself,
a double height space with mezzanine level, occupied only the upper two of four
floors, where there were varying floor to ceiling heights, with classrooms on
the first floor and storage at ground floor level. Vertical circulation was one
particular area requiring improvement.
BDP's
strategy combined extensive internal refurbishment (stripping out all internal
walls and corridors) with two new extensions to create a four-level library of
1,130m2 which provided some 40% extra study/learning space.
The contemporary new
circulation tower was conceived as a "vertical cloister" containing
both a lift and a timber staircase within its 5.6m deep, 7.2m wide space which
spans the three central bays of the library's nine-bay facade. These generous
dimensions allow the incorporation of seating benches, and behind the bottom of
the staircase, beanbags.
As well as providing
much-needed vertical circulation space, the tower was also the opportunity to
address ventilation issues as it creates a stack effect, pulling air through
the building. The Kawneer vents help this to be drawn out when required.
Like the north
lobby, the Kawneer curtain walling incorporates the anodised aluminium fins
which create a clear vertical rhythm but here they continue uncapped beyond the
parapet line to give the feeling of reaching skyward.
The library was
re-opened after a 14-month build by HRH Princess Alexandra.
