Winning scheme will transform one of Europe’s most significant archives into ‘a Portal of Knowledge’.
Wright & Wright Architects’ design for a library and archive building at Lambeth Palace in London. The first new building on the site for almost two hundred years has today been approved by the London Borough of Lambeth’s Applications Committee.
Wright & Wright Architects’ design for a library and archive building at Lambeth Palace in London – the first new
building on the site for almost two hundred years – has today been approved by the London Borough of Lambeth’s
Applications Committee.
Located on the south bank of the River Thames opposite the Palace of Westminster, the new building will take the
form of an ‘occupied wall’, rising to create a nine-storey tower, a sensitive addition which will animate the skyline
of Lambeth Palace. The design rationale is to elevate the precious collection – originally established by Archbishop
Bancroft in 1610 – protecting it from any potential risk of flooding. The building will also screen the garden from noise
and pollution from traffic using Lambeth Palace Road.
The building comprises a double-height entrance hall containing the reception and exhibition areas which will host a
dedicated programme of exhibitions, as well as an Upper Room designated for seminars and other functions.
This sits centrally between two wings of four and five storey archives. The design also incorporates a conservation
studio, seminar and teaching rooms, a ground floor Reading Room and staff offices on the ground and first floors, all
of which overlook the garden.
Entrance Hall
Clare Wright, Partner, Wright & Wright Architects, said: “We are delighted that the scheme has being given
planning approval. It is a fantastic honour to be working on such a significant building, whose purpose resonates so
powerfully with its site and context. Taking it forward will be a delight for the whole team.”
Lambeth Palace is a Grade 1 Listed building and the historic site is extremely sensitive which is challenging but
inherently deeply rewarding. The Upper Room, with its adjacent roof terrace, has been conceived as a space
from which the public can view the Palaces of Lambeth and Westminster together in one coherent panorama
spanning the River Thames, reinforcing the longstanding relationship between Church and State, which
epitomises much of the collection.
“We are very pleased at the way in which Wright & Wright and the whole team have responded to the
exacting and challenging brief to achieve an outcome which will protect and preserve the collection; allow us
to make them more accessible than ever before; be as environmentally friendly as possible; while creating a
beautiful building which will be wonderful to work in and visit.”
Declan Kelly, Director of Libraries and Archives of the Church of England
Second only in global importance to that of the Vatican, the Lambeth Palace Library & Archive contains items
dating back to the 9th century and includes a rare vellum Gutenberg Bible dating from the early 1450s, the only
surviving copy a copy of the warrant for the execution of Mary Queen of Scots by Elizabeth 1 in 1587 and the
licence for the poet John Milton’s third marriage in 1663.
The new library and archive will bring together the outstanding, internationally significant Lambeth Palace
Library collection and the records of the Church of England Record Centre, which are currently housed in
Bermondsey.
In their report recommending approval, LB Lambeth planning officers noted that: ‘The proposed Library
building is considered to be appropriate in its siting, scale, form and detailed design which would integrate
well with the adjacent buildings and landscape.’ Other key elements of the design include:
- Creating a distinct civic identity that dignifies and uplifts the public realm with an animated street frontage,
featuring illuminated display panels, creates a dramatic new front entrance that signifies a welcoming, lively
cultural institution.
- Using hand-made brick and stone in the palette, referencing materials used to craft the earlier elements of
Lambeth Palace. The base is articulated by rusticated brickwork, creating a distinctive variance in tone and
texture. A vertical central strip of 45-degree canted brickwork will add decoration and draw the eye to two
key public areas – the Upper Room and the Entrance Hall.
- Minimising the building’s impact upon the existing garden by locating it against the boundary wall of Lambeth
Palace. The sensitively remodelled landscape will include new elements such as an enlarged pond and a
woodland glade, subtly enhancing and reframing the relationship between the new Library and the rest of
the Palace grounds.
- Delivering a highly sustainable design which is mainly passively controlled and operates in low energy mode.
Every effort has been made to minimise the building’s energy footprint, while ensuring that valuable, fragile
and highly vulnerable books, manuscripts, letters and other documents are preserved in an appropriate
environment for the long term.
Construction of the new Library & Archive is scheduled to be completed in 2020.
