Civic Trust Conservation Award 2022

The Old Library is a 2022 Civic Trust AABC Conservation Award Regional Finalist. The project will now move forward to a national judging panel.

The project has extensively refurbished, re-modelled and extended the Grade II Listed Andrew Carnegie Library, in Tuebrook, Liverpool. Alongside the charity Lister Steps’ core childcare function the project provides multi-functional community spaces, a café, hot desks, and office accommodation.

The project makes significant interventions within the existing building whilst respecting existing volumes and spatial characteristics. One of the reading rooms has been restored and preserved in its entirety as the main community, multi-use space. By contrast, significant interventions were made into the other main reading room but set off from the historic fabric allowing the original space to be read.

Bold, new openings in the existing facades create physical and visual links from the building to the outside. Some are small child sized windows while others are full sized doorways giving access to newly landscaped external areas.

In 2021 The Old Library has welcomed 2300 visitors and received 980 hours of volunteer support.