New Library makes the Times top ten

We launched the Future foundations Campaign in 2017 with the ambitious goal of raising funds to offer scholarships, increase bursary provision and teaching resource but also to improve our facilities for students by building a new library.  The response from our Members and Friends has been incredible and after several years of planning and just over two years of construction our state-of-the-art New Library is not only complete but fully funded. The books are in place, the library staff are finding their feet, the archives in the process of being moved, carefully, into the new Archive centre and plans for the first exhibition in the Gallery are being developed -  all we need now are students to fill the building once Covid restrictions allow us to do so!

The library is a wonderful addition to the College estate. A stunning achievement that is testament to the loyalty of  the global Magdalene community and to the collaboration between those involved in the creation of this extremely impressive building. It recently featured in the Times Ten of the coolest new buildings to gawp at this year (subscription required).

For those of you without a Times subscription, we have kind permission from the article author, Jonathan Morrison, to share the extract written about the Magdalene New Library.

8. Library at Magdalene College, Cambridge, UK, by Niall McLaughlin

In a nutshell: Balanced books

Niall McLaughlin’s new library in one of the university’s oldest colleges promises that most elusive of elements in recent Oxbridge edifices: respect for its surroundings. While the exterior elevations reflect the gabled brick buildings near by, the interior embraces cross-laminated timber and hardwood to create a welcoming yet modern environment for serious study, and is lit by carefully considered windows that ensure an even level of light but preserve the privacy of the Master’s Garden. A typically accomplished and balanced work from one of the country’s top talents.

Full Article: www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ten-of-the-coolest-new-buildings-to-gawp-at-this-year-tq66b66gj

Find out more about the New Library.