The Jerwood Library

Trinity Hall is a relatively small college on a tight central site bordering the Cam and the Backs in Cambridge. At a time when other similar sized colleges were offering good library facilities and around 100 reader spaces, Trinity Hall could only supply 24 reader spaces and 12,500 books on mobile shelving. The site of chosen was a single storey gardeners’ store backing directly onto the River Cam and facing the Backs, attached to a building that housed ten student sets on three floors with a large empty attic. The brief asked for as many readers and books as possible to be accommodated without compromising normal standards or losing too many student rooms.

Freeland Rees Roberts’ award winning building houses 35,000 books and 95 readers, with disabled access via a lift. The structure is steel framed with a great deal of glazing to take advantage of the views. The natural clay bricks and roof tiles match the existing building. Internal alterations enabled the ten students to be housed with improved facilities on two upper floors, leaving the ground floor to become part of the library.