Peckham Library
Library in Peckham, London
title: "Peckham Library" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["library-buildings-completed-in-2000", "libraries-in-the-london-borough-of-southwark", "public-libraries-in-london", "will-alsop-buildings", "peckham"] description: "Library in Peckham, London" topic_path: "general/library-buildings-completed-in-2000" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peckham_Library" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Library in Peckham, London ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox library/wikidata"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| established | |
| location | Peckham, London, England |
| coordinates | |
| type | Public Library |
| part_of | Southwark Libraries |
| website | https://www.southwark.gov.uk/libraries |
| :: |
| established = | location = Peckham, London, England | coordinates = | type = Public Library | part_of = Southwark Libraries | website = https://www.southwark.gov.uk/libraries
Peckham Library is a library and community building situated in Peckham in south-east London, United Kingdom. It was designed by Alsop and Störmer, engineered by AKT II and won the Stirling Prize for Architecture in 2000.
The building is shaped like an inverted capital letter 'L', with the upper part supported by thin steel pillars set at apparently random angles. The exterior is clad with pre-patinated copper.
The Stirling Prize judges approved the building's approach. Alsop has taken the plan footprint of a conventional library and elevated it to create a public space beneath the building and to remove the quiet reading space from street level noise. The remaining, supporting buildings on the ground and 1st floors house the information and media centre. The building has five floors in total, with the library service taking up the fourth floor.
The library opened to the public on 8 March 2000, with an official opening by Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Chris Smith, on 15 May 2000.
The building attracted 500,000 visitors in its first year of opening in the wake of its receipt of the prize. This dropped to approximately 420,000 for 2006.
, a student service centre building at the RWTH Aachen in Germany was built in 2006, which has been compared to Peckham Library with a similar L design.
The library features diverse activities for both children and adults.
Images
Image:2005-07-11 - United Kingdom - England - London - Peckham - Peckham Library.jpg|The north facing rear façade of the building. Image:Peckham library exterior 1.jpg|Exterior Image:Peckham library columns.jpg|View showing the diagonal columns Image:Peckham library meeting room lights.jpg|Interior view of meeting room pod Image:Peckham library pod underside.jpg|Main library space Image:Peckham library pod underside2.jpg|Main library space Image:Peckham library central pod.jpg|View of central pod Image:SuperC RWTH Aachen - 26.03.2017.jpg|Similarly shaped building named at RWTH Aachen, Germany
References
References
- [http://www.e-architect.co.uk/london/peckham_library.htm Peckham Library : Architecture Information], e-architect.co.uk. Retrieved 2011-11-12.
- [http://www.open2.net/modernity/3_18.htm Peckham Library & Media Centre] {{Webarchive. link. (11 October 2011 , Open University website. Retrieved 2011-11-12.)
- Thornton, Victoria. (2012). "Open house London : an exclusive glimpse inside 100 of the most extraordinary buildings in London". Ebury.
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