Library in Worcester, England
The Hive , is a large golden-coloured building in Worcester, England , which houses the fully integrated Worcestershire County Council , City of Worcester public library, the University of Worcester 's academic library, Worcestershire Record Office , the county Archive and Worcestershire Archaeology Service.
History
The Hive was procured under a private finance initiative programme and was built by Galliford Try at a cost of £60 million.[1] The Hive's joint commissioning clients were the University of Worcester and Worcestershire County Council . Funding was also provided by the National Lottery and the British government's Department for Culture, Media and Sport and Department for Education . It was opened to the public on 2 July 2012 and officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 12 July 2012.[2]
Visitors
The library houses over a quarter of a million books.[3] According to the Annual Public Library Statistics from the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA ), The Hive issued 903,859 books during the financial year 2013/14 and achieved 978,199 visits. This placed it in first position in the West Midlands .[4]
Aerial view of The Hive and surrounding landscape
The Hive during construction in June 2011
Awards
Awards include:
Best new-build project of the year in the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) Building Performance Awards 2013[5]
Sustainable Project of the Year in the Building Awards 2013[6]
Outstanding Library Team - Times Higher Leadership and Management Award - June 2013[7]
Sustainable Project of the Year - Building Magazine - April 2013[8]
Civic Trust Award - March 2013[9]
Contribution to the local community through The Hive - Guardian University Award - February 2013[10]
New build project of the year (value above £5 million) - CIBSE - February 2013[11]
Building Excellence Award - South Worcestershire Building Control - 2012[12]
BREEAM Outstanding 86.4% - June 2012[13]
Best Sustainability in a Project- Public Private Partnership Awards - May 2012[14]
Further reading
Better Public Libraries; Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment; 2003
RIBA Journal; April 2012
CIBSE Journal; March 2013
References
External links
52°11′38″N 2°13′33″W / 52.19378°N 2.22594°W / 52.19378; -2.22594