Ramsgate Library

Following a devastating fire in 2005 that almost completely destroyed the building, Kent County Council opened a competition inviting architects to create a new vision for the library.

Radley House Partnership won the vote of the judging panel with a bold scheme that maintained the classical north and west elevations and completely reconfigured the internal spaces.

The new library opens out around a central atrium space through which light filters in via a large rooflight above. Curved panels below the opening diffuse the light around the spaces.

As the digital era slowly erodes the traditional function of the library the flexible spaces around the atrium have been designed to accommodate the changing uses of the library in the community. Subtle changes in level and surface texture help to define the different uses and functions whilst maintaining them all in one active vibrant space