Sky Arts have started a new series on The Art of Architecture. The latest episode (Series 2 Episode 3) was the new library and archives for the Church of England at Lambeth Palace. The building is situated right on Lambeth Palace Road at the far end of Archbishop's Park, so far away from the the the residence of the Archbishop at the old Lambeth Palace itself.
The first thing that you see is the red brick of the new library. Somehow it respects that of the Palace but also the building across the road that is Evelina London Children's Hospital.
So that is how they gained planning for the library, even though it is much taller.
However, the brickwork itself is spectacular. The programme spent some time with husband and wife architects Wright and Wright as they explained the choice and making of the bricks. Stunning.
Overall this is modern architecture at it's expensive best. Especially the inside. More later. I was actually more interested in the construction, there is a brilliant time lapse video at Knight Harwood, Lambeth Palace Library, time lapse on Vimeo or https://vimeo.com/410669548. I loved the part when the concrete frame of the tall central section of the library was being built using slip form. It was just like constructing the concrete core of an office block.
The Entrance Hall (in the photo above) is very impressive. The steel chandelier is a wonderful piece of utility modern art. Never seen anything like it.
At the back the glazing looks out to the gardens and the pond. What this photo does not show is the complicated ends of ceilings arriving at an eaves above the brickwork. Goodness knows how they detailed that on the drawings. Below is one of the reading rooms, replicating those in the old library and again with views to the garden. This is a public library that is closed at the moment. It will be interesting to see what the access is like in the future.
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