Presenting the award, the Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer of Thoroton, said, ‘This library is a triumph of excellent design, enthusiasm and urban renewal. I believe the library will prove to be a beacon of design excellence. All those involved can take great pride in what they’ve achieved.’

The project matches the objectives of the Prime Minister’s Award by promoting low energy use, regeneration and social inclusion.

Upton McGougan provided civil, structural and building services for the £10.5 million project, which comprises 8200 m2 of library and retail space on four floors. The 3600 m2 library on the first and second floors was funded under a PFI for Bournemouth Borough Council. The lower and upper ground floors have been set aside for retail space.

The key elements in the energy efficient and sustainable-engineering design were:

n using the exposed concrete slabs to absorb heat, reducing the need for cooling and thus reducing energy consumption;

n the engineering design emphasising the interaction between the structure and air conditioning to producing the internal environment needed for library and archive storage;

n the structure being used as a heat sink;

n using cooler night-time air to reduce heat build up;

n daylight sensors automatically controlling lighting.

Since the opening of the new library, membership has doubled, with 11 000 people of all ages joining since the opening.

The judges described the library as ‘incredible value for money, at £1000/m2, including fit-out. They also referred to the use of sun scoops putting lighting at the heat of the building and the comfortable climate achieved without the use of air conditioning.

David Upton, co-founder of Upton McGougan and director in charge of this project, said, ‘I am delighted that Bournemouth Library has won the Prime Minister’s Award. In our engineering design, we worked to provide innovative solutions that helped the building to enhance the local area and to be a model of excellence for sustainability.’

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