The largest public library in the UK and a major new cultural destination, the £188 million Library of Birmingham is seen by Birmingham City Council as a flagship project for the redevelopment of the city and looks set to become a model for the future.
Central to the design of this iconic, highly transparent glass building are a significant number of bespoke glazed partition solutions by Optima. Designed by architects Mecanoo and delivered by a team including main contractor Carillion and multi-discipline engineers Buro Happold, The Library of Birmingham will provide a showcase for the city’s internationally important collections of archives, photography and rare books.
Optima’s extensive package of work included independently supported internal glazed partitions and fire screens, including bulkheads and upstands, fire rated glass screens and doors to stair cores, special acoustic screens for the music rooms, single glazed doors, plus bespoke double glazed screens. In addition there was a requirement for automatic double fire doors, curved fire screens to the atria, free standing part height screens and doors, acoustic windows, sliding windows and installation of DDA compliant manifestation.
The unique design of the building’s interior required Optima to engineer and install a number of bespoke solutions. This included the curved fire screens, all of which were different with specific design requirements. This required the individual drawing of each screen and the careful coordination on site to ensure a seamless integration. Due to budget challenges, the company also had to value engineer elements of the package of works, ensuring the architectural brief was maintained in order to achieve the impressive interior.
by Optima Systems
architectsplanet.tv 
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