London Library celebrates AIA UK award win

The London Library took out the Best Refurbishment category at the prestigious American Institute of Architects UK Excellence in Design Awards last night.

The awards, which received nearly 40 entries this year, are highly valued by architects, because they offer trans-Atlantic recognition to entries sought from architects throughout the world for built projects in the UK. 

The jury, which included RIBA president Ruth Reed and AIA UK President Elizabeth Waters, said they had a real challenge selecting the winners from this year’s field of high quality design work. Please see some of their comments below:

“Meticulous insertion of new space into an existing listed building with careful detailing and rich materials.”
- Ruth Reed, RIBA President

“A beautifully composed solution to preserving the very fabric of this important building typology.”  
- John Barrow, Populous

“A masterpiece of craftsmanship and lightness of touch. I could sit and read books in that reading room all day!” 
- Deborah Bartlett, Olympic Delivery Authority, London 2012

Max Fordham provided M+E engineering on the project, part of which involved installing a new ventilation system to the main building that includes passive solutions to climate regulation.

For more detail about our work on The London Library, read our project page or take a look at our photographs by Julian Anderson.