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The Library on Prince Street

Part 1 Project 2024
Lucas Summers
University of the West of England | UK
Following the rise in virtualised learning and the work-from-home culture, empowered by digital connectivity and accelerated by a societal pull and pandemic push, many people unsustainably occupy domestic spaces: home offices, kitchens, dining tables, sofas, bedrooms, and small student accommodations.

Post-pandemic, many corporations and universities continue to operate at a hybrid capacity, taking advantage of virtual environments' ability to manage an increased volume of employees and students. However, people experience more difficulty or an inability to learn online productively and pursue new workplaces, returning to now oversaturating existing academic facilities.

Bristol, in particular, has encountered this struggle. With a growing student population (over 60,000), the city welcomes several new student accommodation constructions, but there are a disproportionate number of academic workspaces—solely around campuses.

With the student population concentrated in the centre and on several arterial transport routes, this scheme proposes a new, centralised academic workplace incorporating modern workplace trends with maximised occupancy within an adaptively reused structure.

Adopting the library's recognition as a civic hub and social centre and its role as an icon, the project explores challenges such as the modern built environment's homogeneity, the streets' passive experience and the decline of public space.


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2024
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