London-based architecture practice Studio Weave has extended the Grade-II listed Lea Bridge Library in East London, adding a cafe and adaptable community space with improved connection to the library’s gardens, resulting in a revived civic heart for the Borough of Waltham Forest. 

To connect the local and future community as the neighbourhood undergoes a period of cultural growth and regeneration, Studio Weave explored the changing role of a library in modern civic infrastructure conceiving a new wing that offers places to work, learn, socialise, and gather.

The new 250 square metre wing sits to the rear of the Edwardian red brick library and occupies the Western boundary of the site, designed to lightly touch the existing heritage building and its green space, Friendship Gardens. Studio Weave utilised the existing western garden wall as an structural spine, anchoring the structure and bulk of the building to one side, ensuring a seamless, open connection to the gardens.

Lea Bridge Library and Gardens have cultural experience at their heart. As a subtle addition to an Edwardian building, the high-quality design respects its context and enhances London’s rich mix of old and new.