The West College Scotland consists, not of a single campus as the name implies, but a group covering the whole of the West of Scotland. Their campuses are situated at Clydebank, Greenock and Paisley, with each featuring great teaching and state of the art facilities.
The Paisley campus was undergoing extensive renovations to improve its facilities. As part of this they were re-allocating rooms and moving their existing library to another area of the campus.
The existing library was away from the main building, within a large high-ceilinged room with shelving surrounding a single study space. The plan was to move these facilities to a space within the main college building and create a more convenient, welcoming environment for the students.
However the new space was not without its issues. It was both smaller and more circular with unusual floor to ceiling windows. The challenge was to maximise the capacity, while also providing study space for students, and working space for the library team. Additionally, there was a need for a discreate area for information leaflets, that should be situated away from the main library area, and out of sight of the librarians desk.
This project needed to be completed in the few weeks leading up to the new term.
The college engaged interior designer Shaun Dargan, who then contacted Rackline based on our expertise in maximising space. Working with Shaun the Rackline design team suggested a range of solutions that would maximise the space, without blocking the natural light coming through the floor to ceiling windows.
Rackline installed a total of twenty seven bays of time tested Proform static library shelves, with a number of individual bays manufactured to allow the shelves to fit around the curve of the room.
To maximise space the bays of library shelves were designed in different heights and widths to suit the overall layout. Twenty six of the bays had standard library shelves and an adjustable divider on each level, and one bay was designed with lift up journal shelves to store and display leaflets.
The powder coat was specified as Pure White (RAL 9010) to provide a clean and bright appearance. Lower bays were equipped with custom manufactured decorative tops to ensure a finished appearance.
The essential installation date specified as mid-August was met and the library was completed ready for the students’ return to college for the new academic year.
The result is a warm, bright and welcoming library space that is more conveniently situated for students. The library shelves accommodate the unusual, curved walls and the combination of small and large shelving maximises the space. Even with less overall square footage the installed library shelves provide a capacity exceeding that of their previous space.
The use of discrete journal shelves allow for the storage and display of leaflets, while providing easy access for students.
Shaun Dargan, Interior Designer said:
“The key to this project was to maximise the space within the room, utilising the most of the curves whilst maintaining the amount of light in the room and creating a welcoming feeling for students.” He continued… ”Rackline provided a product that fitted the room perfectly, with a design to fit around the curves, adjustable shelving to accommodate as much capacity as possible and a clean white finish to reflect the light.”
Rackline have supported numerous schools, colleges and universities in maximising their space, read more about our solutions for education here. Additionally, if you are interested in renovating your library shelves or space we can help you.
