Issue 46 April 25 web - Flipbook - Page 96
Exeter College Library:
Collaborative Conservation
and Creative Reinvention
Exeter College exemplifies what every architect hopes for in a client—visionary leadership, collaborative
engagement, and a steadfast commitment to excellence. Approaching the refurbishment of their historic
library, the College presented an ambitious brief, underpinned by thoughtful stewardship and an
understanding of the considerable challenges posed by a tightly constrained historic site.
From the outset, it was clear our role was to assemble and
lead a highly skilled team, one capable of preserving the
library's Grade II listed fabric, reinstating its historic character, and introducing thoughtfully designed contemporary interventions that would significantly improve visitor
experience and the building's environmental efficiency.
When we first visited the library, constructed in 1857 by
Sir George Gilbert Scott, much of its original elegance
had been obscured by decades of piecemeal alterations.
The main reading rooms were cluttered with non-original
bookcases that concealed reader spaces. Intrusive steel
beams had been inserted to reinforce overloaded floors.
In the annexe, a thoughtlessly inserted mezzanine spliced
the tall west windows in half, boarding up their lower sections. Polycarbonate rooflights were punched through the
roof, and a connecting link area between reading rooms
had suffered multiple insensitive rebuilds to accommodate
various ancillary functions.
For us, the challenge became clear; to remove and clarify
rather than add, revealing the finer qualities of Scott’s
original work.
Innovation and Invention in Conservation
Our practice has always been deeply interested in
innovation—in materials, construction technologies, and
craftsmanship. Architectural conservation, we believe, is
as much about understanding historical innovation as it
is about preservation. This ethos informed our strategy
for the Exeter Library project, particularly regarding the
challenges of decarbonising construction and building
within an exceptionally constrained site.
Surrounded by historic structures, including the Grade I
listed Bodleian Library, site access was severely limited.
Initial feasibility studies had anticipated demolishing part
of the historic college wall and viewing mound overlooking the Radcliffe Camera for construction access. Determined to find a more sensitive and sensible approach, we
set our team the challenge of retaining the Fellows’ garden
wall. Together with Webb Yates Engineers, we developed
an innovative construction strategy that involved prefabricating all new structural elements, such as lift shafts,
walls, floors, and the new annexe roof, using hardwood
