Ealing library revamp nears completion

Bisset Adams is set to unveil its new-look interiors for Ealing Central Library next month.

The design group was awarded the £2m project for the library in west London in December 2005, following a creative competitive pitch.

Ealing Borough Council briefed the consultancy to draw up a feasibility study for the transformation of the 2300m2 library, which was built in the mid-1980s within the shopping centre at Ealing Broadway.

After stripping the library down to its shell, Bisset Adams installed a performance space with capacity for a seated audience of up to 80 people.

A suspended mezzanine level contains a variety of study areas. Like Bisset Adams’ design for High Wycombe Library, which opened last month, Ealing Central will feature a Barrisol ceiling canopy.

The new library caters heavily to children, with teenagers receiving an expanded section including a gaming space.

A learning centre for local businesses and adult education classes, a silent study room, refreshment area and new toilets are being created along with a local history area with its own enquiries desk, study, terminals and plan chests holding maps.

‘The design is calm and light. The palette is mostly neutral, against which the books will contribute colour – as do some bold, bright graphic highlights,’ says Bisset Adams designer Elizabeth Webb.

Ealing Central Library reopens on 29 July.