The New Library, Magdalene College

Cambridge, United Kingdom, Europe

Completed · Education · University Library · Temperate · 2021

A college library designed for a 400-year lifespan, combining load-bearing brickwork with an engineered-timber structure. Brick piers extend above the roof as chimneys that drive passive stack ventilation. It won the 2022 RIBA Stirling Prize, the first college building to do so.

Innovation highlights

400-year design life brief
Load-bearing brick plus engineered-timber hybrid structure
Passive stack ventilation through brick chimney piers
Low embodied carbon and minimal in-use energy

Innovations in the catalogue

Passive Stack Ventilation via Chimney Piers
Load-Bearing Brick and Engineered-Timber Hybrid
Design for Multi-Century Lifespan

Client / Developer: Magdalene College, University of Cambridge
Architect: Níall McLaughlin Architects
Engineer: Smith and Wallwork (structure)
Type: University library

#library #passive ventilation #timber #load-bearing brick #longevity