Luton Library Project Page

Luton Library, Bedfordshire

Once the University of Bedfordshire acquired a key corner site on its estate in Luton city centre it decided that a landmark building was required to provide their new library and act as a gateway to the campus. Their architect decided upon heavily profiled mullions and spandrels with a fairly complex geometry to form the openings for large glazed screens.

The only material that could lend itself to being moulded into the required forms and providing a self finish to look like natural stone was recon and so Thorp developed an upside down ‘T’ shaped panel system to provide the cladding to the main facades and these are complimented on the stair areas by solid wall panels and at the lower levels fluted panels which were produced off rubber mats to provide a striking finish.

The ground floor mullions were designed to wrap around the insitu concrete structural columns but still appear slender in keeping with the overall design intent.All the cladding was installed using the site tower crane apart from some of the under slung areas which Thorp installed early in advance of the main works utilising small mobile cranes.
Contractor:

Engineer:  

Architect:  

Product:   
Willmott Dixon Construction

Aecom

Moses Cameron Williams

Recon Stone Panels

Luton Library, Bedfordshire

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