Addressing the effects of climate change on areas in high risk of flooding such as Morpeth was the catalyst for this project as the town’s former library was forced to close due to flood damage. The proposal aims to create an accessible library space taking inspiration from Henri Labrouste’s Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève library.

Reading the site and using constraints to aid design decisions was very important to the project. Existing characteristics of the site remain in the final design such as the old steel frame from the site’s former use as a car garage.

The site for the library is placed between a historic woodland and the River Wansbeck, the project forms an intimate connection between the river and the wider woodland.