Inviting Glass Town Library Wins BREEAM Rating of Excellence in Enfield

Britain’s <a title="Eco &amp; People Friendly Enfield’s Town Library Wins BREEAM Rating of Excellence" href="http://www.enfield.gov.uk/info/437/libraries-general_information/560/enfield_town_library_visit_enfields_award_winning_library" target="_blank">Enfield Town Library</a> re-opened its doors after an extensive green renovation by holding a special ceremony directed by <a title="Eco &amp; People Friendly Enfield’s Town Library Wins BREEAM Rating of Excellence" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Motion" target="_blank">Sir Andrew Motion</a>, a former Poet Laureate.<a title="Eco &amp; People Friendly Enfield’s Town Library Wins BREEAM Rating of Excellence" href="http://www.seh.co.uk/" target="_blank"> Shepheard Epstein Hunter</a> designed the new and more accessible library building by following an ambitious plan that focused its energy on restoration and rebuilding. Click through the amazing photographs to discover why this lovely glass building, which looks more like a friendly bookshop than a traditional library, has achieved a BREEAM rating of ‘Excellent’.

After a year’s work on refurbishing the much loved existing 1912 Edwardian library and the construction of a new glass building next to it, the BREEAM excellent space at the heart of the town’s Conservation Area is now open and running.

The old and new building’s aesthetics make for an amazing contrast. Linked by a two storey top-lit atrium, the Edwardian red-bricked walls and the concrete-framed transparent box are a fantastic hint of the mix of classic and modern books to be found inside.

The main glazed entrance to the building, which has an access from the luscious renovated Library Green provides enough natural light for reading, writing or just enjoy a relaxing time immersed in thousands of books and magazines.

The top to floor window pains where built facing north in order to avoid solar gain and provide amazing views of the animal and people-friendly Green, which now includes a fountain –used as an ice rink at Christmas–, plenty of public seating, local artwork and even bat boxes!

An array of boreholes that goes 100 metres deep below the Green, provide the building with enough geothermal energy for heating and cooling the whole of the library´s interiors and making the best use of renewable local resources.