| a | name and address | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Type of library | university [University Library] |
| 2 | Name of library / Name of mother institution | Forum Library / University of Exeter |
| 3 | Address | STOCKER RD, EXETER UK EX4 4PT |
| 4 | Phone / Fax / Email |
+44 (0) 1392 723873 library@exeter.ac.uk |
| 5 | Name of the director of the library | CLARE POWNE |
| 6 | Contact person for enquiries |
Stephen Mossop s.a.mossop@exeter.ac.uk +44 (0) 1392 725670 |
| b | population served | |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Current readership, number of registered readers | 23000 |
| 8 | Number of full time students | 15500 |
| 9 | Number of part time students | 3000 |
| 10 | Number of staff in institution | 1550 |
| c | the old/original building(s) | |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Total floor area | 5270 sq. metres |
| 12 | Number of reader seats | 450 |
| 13 | Total capacity of shelving | 21500 linear metres |
| 14 | …in open access storage | 21000 linear metres |
| 15 | …in closed access stacks | 500 linear metres |
| 16 | Number of library staff | 68 |
| 17 | Opening hours to the public | 168 hrs per week; 362 days per year |
| a | architect(s) | |
|---|---|---|
| 18 | Firm | Wilkinsone Eyre |
| 19 | Project Architect | Chris Wilkinson / Chris Donoghue |
| 20 | Type of project | (Renovation & Extension) |
| b | aims of the new building | |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | Short description of the main objectives and purposes of the project | The £48 million Forum Project originated in 2007 to provide an innovative, fully integrated, student-facing facility at the centre of the campus interlinking new learning spaces and the Main Library, catering and social facilities together with all key student services including employability, student support services, accommodation and finance.
In terms of the library, the project provides: 25% more shelving space Dedicated, high quality, research-facing facilities for library users with research-orientated collections close by in the Research Commons (refurbished ‘Old Library’) More than double the original seating provision during peak use seasons with over 75% of seats provided with mains power and hard-wired network sockets A completely refurbished study environment conducive to the broad spectrum of user requirements Double the original PC provision, numerous power sockets and pervasive wifi throughout Additional automated entrance and exit Key drivers for the library part of the project included: Cramped accommodation: by 2002 the Main Library was 95% full and we had little room for expansion in other locations. The Main Library was built with 450 seats in 1982 to cater for 6000 students. The university‘s student population currently stands at around 17,000. Inappropriate spaces: tired and worn décor, poor lighting and ventilation, DDA non-compliant areas, difficult access and layout arrangements, lack of IT provision and power sockets for users. The 1982 design pre-dated personal computing. Dated facilities: Newer learning styles were poorly supported and many user complaints were received about mobile phones, general noise levels and lack of hot drink availability. There was also considerable pressure on limited multimedia facilities. Confusing layout: collections were not in numerical Dewey shelf mark order, aisles did not logically flow into each other and uneven collection expansion between 1982 and 2002 had made way-finding a confused business. |
| c | special features | |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | Site | SITUATED ON STREATHAM CAMPUS, UNIVERSITY OF EXETER |
| 23 | Architecture | SLAB-BASED STRUCTURE BASED ON ORIGINAL 2002 BOX CONSTRUCTION ON CANTILEVER AND WITH ‘SLIT’ WINDOWS
DISABILITY-COMPLIANT: The Forum development fully supports user accessibility. It includes a number of lifts for those with mobility impairment, induction loops at service desks for those with hearing difficulties, approved visual signage as well as four dedicated, bookable accessible study rooms supported with appropriate IT facilities, accessible WCs on each floor and voice alarm systems. BREEAM EXCELLENT RATING: The environmental impact of the Forum building was minimised through design and methodology. Construction materials have been re-used and recycled where possible and Green Guide ‘A’ rated materials incorporated at every opportunity. Biodiversity on campus was monitored throughout the build and extensive measures taken to anticipate the effects of the development on the local ecology, wherever possible rare plants and trees were moved or carefully protected. The building fabric and glazing used in the Forum has achieved a level of thermal performance 10% better than that required by building regulations. This will deliver a serious reduction in energy use and CO2 emissions. The development provides over a hundred extra cycle spaces, plus showers and lockers, to promote cycling and walking to campus, and the new piazzas create a more pedestrian focus. Recycling bins have been placed in strategic locations around the forum building to facilitate a sustainable waste strategy and a composter has been brought onto site to provide organic waste processing services for the whole campus with up to 3500 litres of organic waste to be converted into compost every week and used to keep the luscious grounds at the University looking their best. |
| 24 | Total gross floor area | 6731 sq. metres |
| divided into | ||
|---|---|---|
| 25 | Open access services | 4526 sq. metres |
| special rooms for (26-29) | ||
| 26 | Audiovisual | 62 sq. metres |
| 27 | Computers | 180 sq. metres |
| 28 | Special collections | N/A (in separate site library) |
| 29 | Seminar room(s) | 435 sq. metres |
| special activities (30-32) | ||
| 30 | Exhibition space | N/A – included in Forum Complex |
| 31 | Lecture hall | N/A – included in Forum Complex |
| 32 | Public refreshments | 10 sq. metres |
| 33 | Administration and staff areas | 664 sq. metres |
| 34 | Closed access stacks | 464 sq. metres |
| 35 | Circulations areas (corridors, stairs, lifts), toilets, technical rooms, etc. | 400 sq. metres |
| 36 | Further information | 3 public levels, 0.5 staff area |
| 37 | Number of reader seats (total) | 1160 |
| divided into | ||
| 38 | Audiovisual | 15 |
| 39 | Computers | 105 |
| 40 | Seminar room(s) | 400 |
| 41 | Regular |
| b | total potential capacity of shelving | |
|---|---|---|
| 42 | Books and periodicals (total) | 24000 linear metres |
| including | ||
| 43 | Open access stacks | 16500 linear metres |
| 44 | Closed access stacks | 8500 linear metres |
| 45 | Compact shelving | see 44 |
| 46 | Audiovisual materials | 50 linear metres |
| 47 | Other | |
| 48 | Number of staff required to operate the new library | 63 |
| c | mechanical features | |
|---|---|---|
| 49 | Ventilation/Air Conditioning | 1982 building has air conditioning, 2012 extension has manual ventilation |
| 50 | Heating | Earth tubes, groundsource water, gas boilers |
| 51 | Lighting | Zumtobel |
| 52 | Acoustics | None |
| 53 | Lifts, elevators, escalators | 2 service lifts |
| 54 | Book transportation system | manual trolleys |
| 55 | Theft detection | 3M EM detection (main area), 2CQR RFID (short loan) – project on-going to convert building fully to RFID |
| 56 | Building management system | Schroeder, local |
| 57 | Type of IT infrastructure | CAT 6 network as part of campus network, 100 Mbs minimum |
| 58 | Other |
| 59 | Planning, preliminary brief | 2007 |
| 60 | Architectural competition | Open |
| 61 | Period of project | |
| 62 | Opening of the construction work | April 2009 |
| 63 | Conclusion of the construction | May 2012 |
| 64 | Furnishing and moving the collections | Throughout, on completion of floor-by-floor refurbshments |
| 65 | Opening of the new building for public | 5 May 2012 (by HM The Queen) |
| 66 | Site | N/A |
| 67 | Building | N/A |
| 68 | Furniture and equipment | 182700 euro [£150,000] |
| 69 | Fees | 4019100 euro [£3.3m] |
| 70 | Total | 9230900 euro [£7.58m as part of wider £48 m Forum Project] |
| 71 | Operating costs | |
| 72 | Funding (Type of commission and source of funding) |
| 2013 RIBA National Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Winner of the Higher Education and Research Category at the 2013 World Architecture Festival | ||
| Highly Commended – SCONUL Library design awards 2013 | ||