‘Once-in-a-Generation’ Plans for the British Library Approved

A £500 million new wing for the British Library has been given planning approval by Camden Council. The extension will bring an extra 100,000 square feet to the British Library, and will include new galleries, study space and a foyer where locals and workers can meet.

The extension will be constructed behind the existing building, with new entrances convenient for St Pancras station. It will also be the headquarters of the Alan Turing Institute – the UK’s national centre for data science and artificial intelligence.

The extension has been designed by architects Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners. It uses the distinctive orange, red and terracotta tones seen in the existing library, St Pancras Station and the nearby Francis Crick Institute.

The development will include office space, leased to cultural and scientific businesses as part of efforts to develop the area as London’s ‘Knowledge Quarter’. There will be £23million towards affordable housing in the area, and a new community garden. It will also include space to support the future creation of a new underground station for Crossrail 2 connecting Euston and St Pancras.

According to the project’s website: “The British Library is home to one of the most important collections of books, manuscripts, newspapers, maps and sound recordings in the world.

“Now, a once-in-a-generation transformation is being planned to extend the British Library’s site in London to make it the most open, creative and innovative institution of its kind anywhere in the world.”

Read more on the Londonist website.