Bournemouth & Poole College

Dating back to 1913, this space was originally an art room with a high pitched ceiling and great natural light, but over the years the effect was diminished by the addition of a mezzanine floor and high shelving covering the windows.The college was keen to reveal the original features of the room and bring back the light and airy feeling to the space. A similar style was required to the new campus at North Road, but with a more subdued colour palette sympathetic to the age of the building.

FG Library worked with Footprint Architects on a design and layout that worked with the current original features and space. Brickwork arches were sandblasted to create a magnificent back drop for the furniture. Latitude shelving was used to fit with the previous installation, this time with a softer, light grey appearance. Wall bays were planned to fit neatly around where the steel beams meet the wall.

Hard flooring was used to create a path through the long shape of the main library room. This also helped to divide the area into cluster zones, again in a more subtle colour. Acoustic pods were used wherever space allowed, to offer private group study areas, as well as the small group study rooms created using glazed panels between a run of arches down one side of the room.