Town House, an open-plan library, takes the form of a series of interlocking volumes enveloped by a stone colonnades facade, mirroring the frontage of the Surrey County Council that is located adjacent to it, acting as "the university's front door and a gateway to Kingston upon Thames", the town in which it is located.
This €60m addition to Kingston University, now is open to the public. Its six generous storeys in height, contains the university's main library and archive, alongside dance studios, a dramatic triple-height performance space, adaptable learning spaces, and two cafes.
This €60m addition to Kingston University, now is open to the public. Its six generous storeys in height, contains the university's main library and archive, alongside dance studios, a dramatic triple-height performance space, adaptable learning spaces, and two cafes.
“We were attracted by the university’s radical ambition to mix things that are usually incompatible. The building takes pleasure in these abrasions, combining the two extremes of silence and noise,” says Yvonne Farrell of Grafton Architects
The second facade layer behind from the columns is built with brick and floor-to-ceiling windows. Inside, of Town House's 9,400-square-metre are dominated by pre-cast concrete finishes. The project focus on a triple height "covered courtyard", a performance space with a bleacher staircase.
"Occupants of Town House can always see what is happening throughout the building, encouraging collaboration and exchange and helping to facilitate learning as a social process. Grafton Architects' design radically reconfigures students' learning experience, creating spaces that are liberating and open, allowing informal learning, research and performance to take place organically under one roof," explained the studio.
Other important open question what a modern library is. If printed books still play their part, because, a library now for much of the time simply serves as the best place to lay your laptop. The important things in this kind of space include acoustics, lighting, space, wifi, affordable coffee and the comradely, but not distracting, presence of other students.
The building is complete with three cascading landscaped terraces on its upper levels that encourage external circulation throughout the building, while also offering views out over the town and River Thames. These outdoor spaces incorporate brown-roof technology to help the building absorb water while also enhancing sustainability.
Grafton Architects is a Dublin architecture studio founded in 1978 by Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara. Last year, they were awarded the 2020 RIBA Royal Gold Medal for Architecture – becoming are the first all-woman pair to receive the prestigious prize in its 171-year history.
