The Marrickville Library, Rubner Holzbau’s first project in Australia, is a modern, environmentally sound, multipurpose community centre repurposed from a former hospital in the Sydney suburb of Marrickville. The listed building of the hospital was preserved and restored to create the new library as part of an adaptive reuse project.

Featuring state-of-the-art technologies and sustainable elements, the innovatively designed library completed in 2019 was built using 54 round columns in different lengths ranging from 3 metres to 9.3 metres. Trimmed and round milled on a CNC-controlled machine at the Rubner factory, about 90% of these timber columns support the roof structure of the building – an oversized floating canopy roof inspired by the old hospital roof.

Five additional timber columns simultaneously bear the load of one part of the roof and the façade including the railings. These columns provide an open space feeling since the library’s main atrium hardly has any suspended ceilings.

In addition to the round timber columns, Rubner Holzbau also provided the complex hybrid solution made of steel and timber as well as the entire facade composed of straight and arched tailored glued laminated timber posts.

Detailed workshop design, factory prefabrication of all timber and steel elements, and the preliminary assembly of elements were part of the scope of services. Pre-assembly of all elements was essential and considerably facilitated on-site erection since it allowed the timber columns to be positioned before the steel roof was delivered to the construction site. In addition, the pre-assembled columns accelerated on-site erection works, allowing the timber construction works to be completed in less than six months.

The Marrickville Library was designed by BVN Architects for CD Construction Group.

Rubner Holzbau’s scope of work for the project encompassed structural engineering, fabrication and delivery to site.

Awards

2020 Timber Design Awards Winner

2020 Timber Design Public or Commercial Building Awards Winner

2020 Timber Design Merit for Excellence in Timber Design, People’s Choice

2021 National Architecture Awards, Sir Zelman Cowen Award for Public Architecture

2020 NSW Architecture Awards, NSW Premier’s Prize

2020 NSW Architecture Awards, Milo Dunphy Award for Sustainable Architecture

2020 NSW Architecture Awards, Public Architecture

2020 NSW Architecture Awards, People’s Choice Award

2021 International Public Library of the Year Award Finalist

Architecture & Design Team

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Rubner-Theca

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