In 1978, the UK Government announced its decision to commission a new national library. The old library at the British Museum had long since outgrown its Bloomsbury home, with much of the collection being housed in poor-quality storage 10 miles away. The new library would bring these and other important national collections together in a single, purpose-built building. Designed by Sir Colin St John Wilson with 120,000m2 of space over 14 floors, the new British Library would be the largest public building constructed in the UK in the 20th century.
Arup was challenged in designing the foundation for the new building, which would have to reconcile a complex set of conditions. Five levels of basement would run 24 meters below ground and support nine levels of public reading and office space above, plus the enormous weight of the books themselves. The site would have to cope with London’s chalk and clay layers and their natural capacity to shrink and swell. On top of it all, the geotechnical teams would have to plan around the Northern and Victoria underground lines running below the library.
When it opened, the library was home to 120 million books and print items, from da Vinci’s notebook and the world’s oldest printed document to today’s newspapers. The foundation and supporting columns that Arup designed had to support that weight, as well as the operations of a busy institution and attraction, and the coffered slabs that form the library. With over 500,000 titles being added each year, Arup’s design had to optimise use of space.