Newham Heritage Centre

 

Newham Heritage Centre

We worked alongside architects Haworth Tompkins on behalf of the London Borough of Newham for plans to redevelop and refurbish the Grade II listed former Canning Town Old Library. Following the relocation of the library to the Custom House and Canning Town Community Neighbourhood Centre and Library in 2017, the plans involve the creation of a new hub for heritage and digital learning and involved close consultation with the local community. The scheme benefited from £40m from the Levelling Up Fund and was granted unanimous planning approval in November 2023.

The Victorian library was completed in 1894 by the Corporation of the Borough of West Ham and is historically significant having played an important role in the creation of the trade union movement in Britain. The Heritage Centre will provide a range of Council-led facilities including an archive, digital media suite, flexible exhibition space, café and learning and outreach spaces.

Extensive work will be undertaken to retrofit the building to make it more climate-efficient, aiming to drastically cut energy use. These will include internal alterations, improved insulation, replacement windows, roof lights and doors, and the installation of solar panels, heat pumps and a new mechanical ventilation system. In addition to this, two extensions will include an archival store (built to high modern conservation standards) and another to house a new lift and stair to improve accessibility.

The proposed material palette for the two extensions was chosen to complement the existing material palette, while offering a counterpoint to the historic fabric and a clear delineation between the existing building and the proposed extensions. As there is no potential for windows openings into the store, a high-quality anodised aluminium cladding with vertical fins will be added to the façade.

Client: Newham Council
Architects: Haworth Tompkins