Construction firm appointed for redevelopment of British Library site in West Yorkshire

Wates Construction has been appointed as pre-construction stage partner on the redevelopment of the British Library site at Boston Spa, West Yorkshire.

The 45-week PCSC (pre-construction services consultant) role will see Wates working alongside the client’s design team up to RIBA Stage 4 with services engineer, Buro Happold and London-based, architectural practice, Carmody Groarke.

The scheme involves the construction of a new 28m high, 5274m2 fully automated net zero carbon archive building.

It will feature a public viewing gallery and 220km of extra shelf space together with a renovation of the nearby 1970s Brutalist-style Urquhart Building for the library’s 550 on-site staff, including a new reading room, restaurant and café for visitors.

David Wingfield, regional director North East, Wates Construction, said: “We are delighted with our appointment. We know from past projects that the most critical success factors when constructing airtight buildings are genuine partnership and teamwork, for which Wates Construction has a proven track record.

“This project will set the standard for facilities of this type worldwide. Nothing like this archive has been built in the UK before, where the environment is completely airtight, and when complete, a fully automated racking and robotics system will be used to retrieve documents.

“It is both a fascinating and challenging project to work on, requiring cutting edge sustainable design solutions, and given its novel, world-beating status, a highly-coveted role for any contractor to secure.”