Crawley Public Library
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East elevation facade
Tim Soar (website) Download Original
Civic building providing a range of services including a central library, registry office, administration and social services
Facing onto a new public square, the four-storey building, which has a limestone and glass facade, was designed to be a landmark for Crawley town centre.
Accessed from the square, the library is arranged around a bright and welcoming central atrium. Each floor cantilevers slightly over the level below, creating a gentle overhang that shelters and shades the south and west facades.
Designed for sustainability and comfort, the building has a high thermal mass, controlled daylighting, a mixed mode ventilation system and a biomass boiler. Simple methods of energy conservation such as exposed thermal mass, controlled daylighting, natural stack effect and cross ventilation are used to minimise heat gains.
The ventilation strategy, good natural lighting and the use of a biomass boiler all contributed to the achievement of a BREEAM rating of Very Good.
Data
- Begun: Aug 2007
- Completed: Dec 2008
- Floor area: 4,468m2
- Sector: Civic
- Total cost: £12.6M
- Procurement: JCT Design and Build Contract 2005
- CO2 Emissions: 12kg/m2/year
- Address: Southgate Avenue, Crawley, RH10 6HG, United Kingdom
Professional Team 
- Architect: Penoyre & Prasad
- Project architect: Gillian Horn
- Client: West Sussex County Council
- Quantity surveyor: Currie and Brown
- Main contractor: BAM Construction
- Structural engineer: Gifford
- Services engineer: Gifford
