Storytelling Space
"Our experience of the Junior School library is overwhelmingly positive. It is the beating heart of the school where children come to read books and iPads, to perform and play. Our new library is a renaissance for a space stuck in the last century "
There was a time when it was sufficient for a library to act as a repository of books. Living in an age where technically anyone with a digital device can read a book without leaving their home, a school library must think again about its purpose.
.... where a creatively designed space signalling the importance of the world of the imagination and curiosity really matters. As a school we believe learning spaces matter - they promote styles of pedagogy and learning which present possibilities not previously envisaged by teacher and learner.
Existing
The existing library and learningspaces lacked inspiration. A key aspiration was the improvement to the overall aesthetic of these areas and to tie them in with related Pre-Prep school.
At the core of this, was a concept for a storytelling-led library and external courtyard space that allowed the pupils to explore fiction individually or in groups.
The design references a number of texts, including ‘Tom’s Midnight Garden’ and ‘The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe’. A habitable book signifies the presence of the storytelling spaces within the school’s corridors.
Influences were:
- The street lamp from The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe.
- Pop art & oversized objects Claes Oldenburg
- Furniture as art by Whynotassociates and artist Gordon Young
- Seaside beach huts
- Super graphics
Storytelling courtyard
.. had to be fun and increase attraction to literature, feed the imagination , must look like an external library space when viewed from the school. create an external reach in fiction novels, create a series of small performance areas with seating, and create different rooms outside
The project has been a success due to the combination of a visionary client, a creative and professional design team and a resourceful and focussed contractor.
Big Book
Entrance to the storytelling space – a portal between the circulation and library.
The big book is multifunctional, it is a seat, a book display, a white board and referecne to a school alumna.
The Storytelling space
A space where books and reading are celebrated. A design that puts all the books within access of the pupils, even the youngest of pupils can explore the shelving. The joinery creates a landscape to sit and lounge and the "O" is an amazing seat for a storyteller
Construction
Photographs of the joinery in the workshop during construction.
