Meet the Design Team
Our design team is being led by Haworth Tompkins who were carefully procured by the Council to lead a a multi-disciplinary team. This group of consultants are bringing their unique expertise and experience by working with us to make the Canning Town Old Library project a reality.
Haworth Tompkins – Architect & Lead Consultant
https://www.haworthtompkins.com/
‘Haworth Tompkins is a Stirling Prize-winning architectural studio with an international reputation for intelligent, purposeful design. The London-based practice has extensive experience in working with listed buildings in sensitive heritage contexts and in designing libraries, archives, and public buildings. Many of their projects involve careful re-working of existing buildings or inserting new additions to an existing ensemble.
Haworth Tompkins work at the London Library; the world’s largest independent lending library dating back to the 1890s, involved extensive renovation of the Grade II listed building, providing 42 new reader spaces, 1.25km of new shelving, and new designated rooms for Collections. Much of the work dealt with 'de-silting' and restoring legibility to the Library, making it easier for its users to understand and navigate around, but also to equip it to deal with fresh challenges posed by the 21st century, including the provision of more space for the Collection, staff and members; the adoption of new technology; the conservation of book stocks; and improvements to the environmental conditions of the existing building.
Other notable projects include V&A Clothworkers’ Centre, the Warburg Institute and Lambeth Archive, each of which involved similar aspects of the brief for the new Heritage Centre at Canning Town Old Library’.
Alan Baxter – Heritage Consultant
Alan Baxter provide conservation advice for a broad variety of private and public sector projects. Central to their approach is the belief that historic buildings and places are inherently adaptable and sustainable, and that the best schemes for new uses stem from a deep understanding of history and context, with a sophisticated analysis of requirements and proposals. Their team includes architectural historians, archaeologists and planners from a wide range of backgrounds who have a vast experience of all building types and contexts. This broad-minded, multidisciplinary approach helps the firm to realise projects that are practical, economical, delightful and long-lasting.
Skelly & Couch – Services Engineer
https://www.skellyandcouch.com/
Skelly & Couch Ltd. is a dynamic firm of award-winning building environment and services engineers based in London, Bristol and Newcastle. We work across all sectors with the UK’s foremost architects, creating innovative, sustainable designs for bespoke projects with a construction value ranging from £1m to £50m.
The team have considerable experience of listed public buildings, heritage sites, education centres and museums, many of which combine sensitive conservation with quality new development, and we create bespoke solutions tailored to the context of each project. Our many heritage projects include Command of the Oceans, a major, multi-award-winning project for Historic Dockyard Chatham, which secured the repair and preservation of a range of The Historic Dockyard’s Scheduled Ancient Monuments.
Skelly & Couch carried out several projects at Grade I-listed Kensington Palace Orangery, including a state-of-the-art conservation facility for key pieces from the internationally-renowned Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection. The company were also part of the team which gave the historic Richmond Adult Community College, which has its roots in the late 19th century (1895), a new and sustainable lease of life by an impressive refurbishment and new-build development, meeting the highest standards of energy efficiency.
Price & Myers – Structural Engineer
Price & Myers is a consulting civil and structural engineering practice established in London in 1978. Their aim is to work with good imaginative architects, to make excellent buildings. In their first 44 years of practice they have completed over 30,000 projects, won over 850 design awards, and have grown to four studios - in London, Nottingham, Oxford and Manchester
Price & Myers are designers. Sometimes engineers are not thought of in that way, but design is the essence of how they work. They have advised on the repair and restoration of many historic buildings, and their engineers have accumulated a deep pool of knowledge and understanding of this sort of work, with specialist conservation and CARE Accredited engineers in house. Price & Myers will work collaboratively with Haworth Tompkins, in consultation with the local community, and alongside specialists including local authority conservation officers and specialist craftspeople, to help achieve a successful result for Canning Town Old Library.