Idea Store Whitechapel - (Re)designing for Crossrail

Faced with low take-up for its library and adult education services, the London Borough of Tower Hamlets (LBTH) has come up with a novel solution: the Idea Store. The Idea Store concept derives from extensive research into the needs of the borough’s inhabitants and aims to change people’s perception of libraries and learning. A wide variety of learning tools - books, audio visual, e-learning, taught classes - are incorporated in one bright and welcoming building along with other facilities such as a café, dance and alternative therapy studios and a crèche. By locating the Idea Stores in busy public areas, near supermarkets and shopping areas, it is easy for people to ‘pop-in’ instead of having to make a special visit to an often out-of-the-way and unwelcoming traditional library building.

Having already enjoyed the success of the first Idea Store, located in Bow, LBTH decided to commence design and construction of the next two of the seven Idea Stores planned for the borough. The most significant of these was the Idea Store Whitechapel intended to be the flagship Idea Store.

Jo da Silva, MA (Hons), CEng, MIStructE, MICE
Arup

Tim Chapman, BE, MSc, DIC, CEng, FICE, MIEI
Arup

Sarah Glover, MEng (Hons)
Arup

Gordon Torp Peterson, BEng (Hons), MSc (Eng), MBA, CEng, FICE
Crossrail