Elder Park Library & Community hub

Respect, revitalize, rejuvenate

Elder Park Library & Community Hub – bringing together the old and the new in perfect harmony!
We don’t just design a space, we design for communities and spaces for people to live, work, play, create and learn - spaces that support life.

We know that investment in libraries is an investment in community, in social capital, in regeneration and in learning and early childhood educational experiences. We create spaces that we know will empower communities to build their confidence and skills.

> More about Elder Park Library & Community hub

Respect

We believe in respecting the story of the building, the history and the community! The restoration of the Category A listed Elder Park Library into a fabulous Library & Community Hub has significantly improved the fabric of the building and delivered a modern, fit-for-purpose space that now best serves the needs of the community and is sustainable for the future.

We know the interior design of a listed building must be sympathetic to the period of the building, yet still meet the brief of a space that can connect, cultivate and transform communities. It must meet the needs of the 21^st century library customer and be flexible for community needs. At the same time the spaces must enable contemporary learning styles and equipment, while still being respectful to the heritage-listed architecture.

We have considerable experience in working with listed buildings and balancing the requirements of a modern library whilst respecting the historic heritage and architecture of the building. When designing heritage and listed property interiors we know the indoor furnishing should reflect that history and enhance the visual storytelling.

An early community consultation showed that health and wellbeing, learning and outdoor programming were high on the list of wishes for the local community. We also recognised the adjacency of Elder Park Library & Community Hub to the park area and introduced biophilic design in small ways to bring that healthy space into the library. We know these are key issues and spaces that can really help level-up and develop communities.

Revitalize!

We wanted to help build on that community pride and ensure local people can once again feel pride and ownership of the building and it was therefore essential to understand the history and the community and support accessibility, diversity, and wellness.

There is so much to link the community to the library’s history e.g. Elder Park – Mrs. Isabella Elder was an important philanthropist who used her wealth and status for the benefit of the wider community, especially championing women's education.

We worked with the motto “Where classic meets Contemporary” and flexibility, practicality and elegance was important throughout our design. We created beautiful spaces with multi-functional modular booth seating, perfect for study and privacy. Seating Pods for alternative seating options in breakout spaces. We loved the contemporary armchairs with a retro twist.

We ensured that versatile shelves for wall mounting or end panel mounting enabled a wide variety of functions for the creation of display areas.

Rejuvenate!

The children’s area is now a delight and can transport children and adults to the wonderful world of places, experiences and adventure in fiction. We are proud to have delivered showstopping spaces previously for Glasgow, spaces that made the community proud and gave them ownership, spaces that linked them to their past and to local heroes.

Our team invest a lot of time and research to understand a building’s heritage to bring it up to date with contemporary furnishings and fixtures. To do that we were careful to ensure that every single element serves and respects the history and heritage of the building, we want to complement not eradicate its heritage.

In creating this beautiful, flexible, multiuse spaces for people to gather, interact, and learn new skills the amazing level of book stock and resources was retained.

The furnishings that libraries choose therefore play a key role in enhancing the patron experience, whether that is showcasing collections more effectively, fostering creativity, or facilitating connections between patrons and library staff.

We knew we weren’t just designing a space, we design for communities and spaces for people to live, work, play, create and learn - spaces that support life. We know that investment in libraries is an investment in community, in social capital, in regeneration and in learning and early childhood educational experiences. We create spaces that we know will empower communities to build their confidence and skills. Our designers are expert in beautifully designing the old and the new in perfect harmony.