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Building our futureMagdalen’s Campaign to raise £8m to redevelop the New Library
CONTENTS
1INTRODUCTION–THEPRESIDENT 2THEURGENTNEED 6THESOLUTION 8LIBRARYPLANS&ARCHITECT’SIMPRESSIONS10BENEFITSOFTHENEWDESIGN12ALTERATIONSTOTHEExISTINGLIBRARY14DESIGNOFTHELIBRARYExTENSION16NEWDESIGNFORLONGWALLQUAD18PROjECTCOSTSANDFUNDRAISING20NAMINGOPPORTUNITIES21MAkINGAGIFT
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CONTENTS
1INTRODUCTION–THEPRESIDENT 2THEURGENTNEED 6THESOLUTION 8LIBRARYPLANS&ARCHITECT’SIMPRESSIONS10BENEFITSOFTHENEWDESIGN12ALTERATIONSTOTHEExISTINGLIBRARY14DESIGNOFTHELIBRARYExTENSION16NEWDESIGNFORLONGWALLQUAD18PROjECTCOSTSANDFUNDRAISING20NAMINGOPPORTUNITIES21MAkINGAGIFT
INTRODUCTION
Magdalen is one of Oxford’s most academically and architecturally distinguished Colleges but we have one of the poorest College library buildings in Oxford and Cambridge. The collection is excellent and the library staff do the best they can but the building itself is far too small and has the worst seating-to-student ratio of any Oxbridge college. Traffic noise and pollution from the High Street permeate the building, and the lack of insulation makes for extremes of temperature: too cold in winter and too warm in summer. The existing building is not energy efficient nor is it accessible to the disabled.
The College has been looking for solutions to the problem of its library space since the 1970s, aware of the fact that the Library is a frequent source of complaint from our student body and is, to be candid, an embarrassment for an institution with Magdalen’s long and proud history of delivering a world-class educational experience. We have now been granted planning permission for an imaginative renovation of and extension to the New Library which will provide flexible and well-equipped working space while remaining sympathetic to the original Victorian building and the architecture of the College.
This vital and long overdue project can only be realised with your help. The total cost is £9m. The College has allocated £1m to the project from its own resources and we have also secured a number of major donations and pledges. I invite you to read through the proposals described in this brochure which tell you more about the inadequacies of the current library and the solution we have developed. The College has identified the delivery of this project as one of its highest priorities. Its importance to our academic standing, and our ability to continue to attract the best students, cannot be overstated. We urgently need your support and I would be delighted to discuss with you in person how you can help write this new chapter in Magdalen’s long and illustrious history.
With very best wishes
ProfessorDavidC.Clary,[email protected]. +44 (0) 1865 276101
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The UrgenT need
The present library is housed in a Victorian building designed by John Buckler and built in 1851 for Magdalen College School. In 1928 the School moved over the bridge to its present site and the Schoolhouse was reconfigured by giles gilbert Scott into the new Library we know today.
When the new Library was opened in 1932 the Magdalen community was made up of fewer than 200 students and about 35 Fellows. In the 1970s, when the Magdalen student population was about 300, the College decided that the new Library was too small, and plans were explored for constructing a new building, or at least extending the old one. Over 35 years later, with a student population in excess of 600, the state of the library now requires urgent attention.
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Today Magdalen’s students and Library staff are struggling to cope with a building that is no longer fit for purpose. The most pressing problems arise from lack of space:
Inadequate reading spaceThere are only 48 small reading places for over 600 students, as well as fellows and staff. This is the poorest ratio of seating-to-readers of any college in Oxford or Cambridge.
A chronic shortage of shelving Magdalen has one of the finest book and film collections of any Oxford College but many items are stored on the floor or double-shelved, whilst thousands are kept in other parts of the College.
No provision for readers with special needsThere is no access for readers with mobility problems. There is no lift and the aisles are too narrow for a wheelchair.
The Magdalen Library currently offers one seat for every 14 readers. This is the worst seating ratio for any college in Oxford or Cambridge.Dr Christine Ferdinand.Fellow Librarian.
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Erratic heatingInstalled in the 1920s, the dilapidated heating system is inefficient and difficult to control, resulting in conditions that range from near freezing to very hot. The radiators are also surrounded by asbestos.
Poor lightingScott’s redesign in the 1920s partially blocked many windows, so most light comes from old mercury-filled fluorescent bulbs that do not meet modern standards for reading or working.
Inadequate electricsElectrical outlets are limited and many are poorly sited, so laptop leads are often strung across aisles.
Outdated plumbingOnly two small and poorly ventilated toilets are available for well over 600 potential users.
Poor acousticsNoise travels easily between floors. Windows are single glazed and the sound of traffic in the High Street is intrusive.
I have used other College library facilities as they are often better than at Magdalen. This is surprising for a College of Magdalen’s academic standing.Kaci Peringer. Undergraduate, Archaeology and Anthropology.
Magdalen has several leading book collections and the finest DVD collection in the University. It is a remarkable library in many ways, but we are running out of space.Dr Robert Douglas-Fairhurst. Fellow in English.
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Damaging pollutionHigh levels of pollution in the High Street produce a sooty residue which settles everywhere.
Poor staff facilitiesStaff space is dim and overcrowded. There is no lift, so thousands of books have to be carried by hand up and down three flights of stairs.
The library is one of the few places where I feel that I am part of an academic community. As a medic I have lots of lectures and so it’s very easy during the day for me not to see anyone from College. The library plays an important role in bringing students together.Ben Jacobs. Undergraduate, Physiological Sciences (Medicine).
The present library is housed in a building that does not accommodate the way students learn in the twenty-first century. These problems will not go away. Indeed, they are likely to get worse as the College grows and new technologies supplant old ones.
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The SOLUTIOn
Wright and Wright Architects have come up with an imaginative scheme that allows Buckler’s building to continue to function as a library, and extends the space in a modern but sympathetically designed way.
The design will address the problems of the current building, and it will deliver a library that befits Magdalen’s standing as a centre of world-class learning and scholarship.
The overall concept of the design is to deliver a sustainable solution that meets with new and statutory regulations. It involves the repair, conversion and extension of the existing new Library into a large, flexible and well-resourced library that is fit for purpose. Of equal importance, the design reflects the College’s longstanding commitment to its tradition of sound construction and design, as well as preserving the extraordinary buildings, quadrangles, and deer park for future generations of students to enjoy.
The ArchitectsWright and Wright Architects are known for their contextual contemporary designs in historic settings which are based on careful historical and functional analysis. Completed projects include developments at The Courtauld Institute at Somerset House (Masterplan and Reading Rooms), the new Royal College of Art Library, the Women’s Library in London, the Taylor Library at Corpus Christi College in Cambridge (left) and the National Gallery (below).
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Within the existing Library, a new freestanding structure will be set into the void of the hall (see left). The re-use of this Library space is a sustainable approach, and pays heed to the historic significance of the present structure, while sensitively making the changes necessary to bring the Library up to date and to allow it to function effectively for staff and students.
Further to the enhancement of the existing Library, a new extension will be built. This will take the form of a building that sits in relation to a sunken landscape garden. There will be views out across a newly planted area that steps down from the lawn of Longwall Quad. The remodelled Quad will be integrated with the Library and other surrounding buildings, providing natural pathways as well as areas for study.
The design has been developed with a view to future flexibility: the new structure set within the New Library is deliberately a lightweight frame set away from the existing wall, which will allow it to be easily adapted. The new extension will have a light touch in the junction with the existing walls, and existing openings will be re-used.
The plan has received full planning permission. It provides clear and much-needed benefits to all of the Library’s users, while retaining and enhancing the building and landscape’s existing fabric and historic significance.
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LIBrArY PLAnS And ArChITeCT’S IMPreSSIOnS
Plan of Lower Ground Floor
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Internal render of first floor
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BeneFITS OF The neW deSIgn
Why do we need a library in the digital age?Libraries are not anachronistic. They have existed for millennia and will endure, though they are changing to meet the demands of new technologies and different ways of learning and teaching. Books are still heavily used by Magdalen’s students—73,735 items were borrowed or renewed in 2011—and will continue to be provided on open access. (Incidentally, books on shelves will make a significant contribution to good acoustics in our extended library.) Every part of the library, including the quad outside, will have internet access. Digital resources, as well as up-to-date scanning and copying facilities will be freely available.
Should physical books become less used, the space where they are stored has been planned with enough flexibility so that it can easily be converted to an alternative use, such as teaching rooms, reading space, or archives storage.
…academic libraries must cater for an increasing range of learning activities, and provide space conducive to independent and collaborative learning…Mark Powell, ‘Designing Library Space to Facilitate Learning’
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ThE NEW DEsIGN WILL DELIvEr
morethantwiceasmanyplacestostudy(upto120readerspaces) access,forthefirsttime,intoandthroughoutthelibraryfordisabledstudentsandstaff avarietyofspaciousworkplaces–atindividualdesks,inseminarrooms,attables,instudycarrels,andinmorecasualcommunalareas enoughshelvingtoaccommodateMagdalen’scurrentcollectionofbooksandDVDs,withroomforgrowth aflexibledesignthatwillhelp“future-proof”thelibrary—forexamplesomebookstoragespacecanbeconvertedintoseminarrooms
orstudyareasifprintedbooksbecomelessindemand
a lift for users with disabilities and for book delivery a building that meets fire-safety standards modern electrical wiring with plenty of outlets wifi and ethernet access throughout the building environmentally friendly heating and cooling that is within the control of library staff and readers a happy combination of natural and carefully selected artificial lighting carefully fitted double-glazing to minimize noise and particle pollution more and better ventilated toilets the revelation of the full extent of the windows in Buckler’s original design, which will also improve the streetscape improved facilities for staff - adequate offices and a private common room a building that is easy to maintain green rooftops on the newly built sections a library-outside-the-library with wifi in Longwall Quad
Almost three times more space than the current library provides
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The changes within the Library are designed to leave more of Buckler’s original structure visible than can be seen at present, and to establish a clear architectural language and distinction between new and old. The floors inserted by Giles Gilbert Scott will be removed to allow the full volume of the original school hall to be appreciated.
A number of moves will make the space function better; central among these is the insertion of what is essentially a large piece of furniture, which can be removed if it is felt necessary to do so. This will give the College the flexibility it needs going forward, with a reversible strategy in line with statutory guidance on protecting historic fabric.
A void will separate the new intervention from the existing Library’s masonry walls. This will let readers see the windows and roof properly for the first time since Scott’s conversion. In this way, the old and the new will be set in a meaningful relationship.
ALTerATIOnS TO The exISTIng LIBrArY
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Some of Scott’s better ideas will also be harnessed. The upper windows will be exploited for the wonderful views they afford, while those in the basement will be used to provide natural ventilation, and those at ground-floor level altered to provide more natural light. The building will be better insulated, especially in the basement and roof. It will also be properly sealed for the first time. These measures will assist with controlling the noise and the extremes of temperature to which readers and staff are presently subject.
AccessThe building will be made accessible to people with disabilities, including wheelchair users and those with mobility and/or dexterity problems and sensory impairments. This is significant, since the New Library is the only principal part of the College that is yet to provide access for people with disabilities.
FlexibilityAbove all the space will be flexible. At least 3,000 linear metres of book shelving will be available, of which approximately 1,600 metres will be on mobile storage in the basement. This will provide for easy access while, at the same time, the fact that these interventions are reversible means the space can be converted for alternative uses in future if required.
The proposal for the interior of Buckler’s building is a well considered piece of excellentmodern design.English Heritage
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deSIgn OF The LIBrArY exTenSIOn
The Library will be extended in the form of a new L-shaped wing, set in relation to a sunken landscape. The zone of the extension immediately to the north of the existing Library will house the main entrance, reception area and staff facilities, and will provide direct access to the staircase, lift and WCs. The reception will be linked to the reading room by a glazed route that passes adjacent to a planted, inner courtyard garden.
A second wing will run on the line of the Longwall and will house the main reading room. This is a top-lit space with rooflights providing natural light and ventilation. The opening elements of the rooflights are orientated to avoid noise intrusion from the street.
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Entrance and staff areasThe main entrance has an immediate relationship with the staff reception area, communal facilities (such as photocopiers, WCs, book check-in) and access to the Library’s upper floors.
Staff facilities open out onto a small private garden next to a glazed link adjoining the reading room. Vistas are created along the length of the reading room and to the gardens beyond.
reader areasGroup working areas, as well as more private carrels, are provided in the main reading room. Natural daylight and ventilation are used throughout. Readers have views out over the Quad through desk-height windows, whereas the private carrels will be top-lit and hidden from view. Detailed computer modelling of the plans has demonstrated that there will be an excellent quality of natural daylight that will limit the need for artificial light during the day.
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New design for Longwall QuadThe plan for the Quad is to provide a new garden, associated with the Library extension. This garden will be an intimate space for private use by the College, and will have a distinct character. There will be plenty of outdoor seating and lawn so that students can use the garden as an extension of the Library. There will be a balance between hard and soft surfaces, and the space will be designed to work as part of the wider circulation of the College as well as providing outdoor sitting spaces.
neW deSIgn FOr LOngWALL QUAd
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Theestimatedcostisbuiltupasfollows:
Archaeology and Site Preparation £ 1.2 mRepairs to Fabric of the Buckler Building £ 1.5 mNew Construction £ 4.0 mExternal Works and Landscaping £ 0.5 mProfessional Fees £ 1.3 mContingency £ 0.5 m
TOTAL £ 9.0 m
PrOJeCT COSTS And FUndrAISIng
The estimated total cost of renovating and extending the Library is £9 million. This figure includes extensive archaeology in the basement of the Buckler building and in Longwall Quad (a condition of planning permission); underpinning Longwall; repairs to the fabric of the Buckler building and creating a new lower ground floor; building a new reading room adjacent to Longwall and landscaping Longwall Quad.
All figures include VAT which is not recoverable by the College.
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£2M
£1M £1M
£10K £10K £10K £10K£10K £10K £10K£10K £10K£10K
TARGET£8m
Magdalenhasalreadyallocated£1mfromitsownresourcestohelpfundthisprojectleaving£8mtoberaisedfromourfundraisingefforts.Thenumberofgiftsrequiredateachlevelareindicatedbelow;thehighlightedboxesindicatewhereadonationhasalreadybeensecured:
£500K £500K£500K
£250K £250K £250K £250K
£100K £100K £100K £100K
£75K £75K £75K £75K£75K
£50K £50K £50K £50K£50K £50K£50K£50K
£25K £25K £25K £25K£25K £25K £25K£25K£25K
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This campaign provides a number of naming opportunities so that individuals and families can have their generosity openly recognised, and their association with the College remembered, for generations to come. These range from the naming of seminar rooms, reading rooms, and the gardens, to the re-naming of the New Library itself. There are no future building projects envisaged for the foreseeable future that would provide such an opportunity.
If you would like more information about naming opportunities please contact:Sean Rainey, Development [email protected] Tel. +44 (0) 1865 286796 Donor BoardIn addition to specific naming opportunities in the building, all benefactors who contribute over £1,000 to the project will be invited to have their names included on a Donor Board in the Library.
Benefactors’ recognition ProgrammeAs a donor to the Library project, your contribution will be acknowledged through the College’s Benefactors’ Recognition Programme. This includes a range of benefits associated with different levels of giving; and further information is available on request.
nAMIng OPPOrTUnITIeS
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MAkIng A gIFT
Donations to the Library Appeal can be made over a number of years and can also be made tax efficiently. The table below provides some examples of how gifts made by UK tax payers can be donated over a 5-year period.
Annualgift Withgiftaidadded Costtodonor Totalvalueofgiftto (25pforevery£1donated) after5years Collegeafter5years
£1,600 £2,000 £8,000 £10,000 £4,000 £1,000 £20,000 £25,000 £8,000 £2,000 £40,000 £50,000 £12,000 £3,000 £60,000 £75,000 £16,000 £4,000 £80,000 £100,000 £40,000 £10,000 £200,000 £250,000
Higher-rate tax payers can also benefit from tax relief by claiming back the difference between the higher rates of tax at 40 or 50 per cent (45% from April 2013) and the basic rate of tax at 20 per cent on the total value of their gross donation. For further information please see http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/individuals/giving/basics.htm
US, Canadian and Hong Kong residents can also make tax-efficient donations to the Library.
If you would like to discuss making a donation to the Library Campaign, or have any questions, please contact:
Sean Rainey, Development [email protected] Tel. +44 (0) 1865 286796
CONTACTS:
DavidClary,[email protected]. +44 (0) 1865 276101
SeanRaineyDevelopment [email protected] Tel. +44 (0) 1865 286796
ChristineFerdinandFellow [email protected] Tel. +44 (0) 1865 276057
