proposal for new arrival court. phase two, cambridge university library.
PROPOSAL TO CREATE AN ARRIVAL COURT GARDEN FOR THE FRONT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE LIBRARY.
LOCATION: CAMBRIDGE
CLIENT: UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
MATERIAL: MIXED MEDIA
LEAD ARTIST: HARRY GRAY
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT: DAVID BROWN
The brief: to create a design for an arrival court at the University Library Cambridge.
This proposal is to create an arrival court garden by extending the existing series of steps into a terrace of planting, seating and sculpture. The concept is inspired by the printer’s trays or cases, which were used to contain and organise the lead type.
In this design the geometry of the lower case provides the grid pattern, inlaid into the level surface of the main terrace. The rectangles formed within the grid all relate to the boxes for the different letters of the alphabet. Some boxes are raised to form seating with artworks relating to the letter found in that position in the printer’s case. Other boxes could be recessed to form planters. Artists and poets would collaborate to make artworks for each letter’s position.
This second phase would complete the arrival court framed by the bronze book stacks and realise head librarian Anne Jarvis’ vision “to bring the Library out beyond its walls and create a welcoming space by expanding the entrance beyond the front steps.”
LOCATION: CAMBRIDGE
CLIENT: UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
MATERIAL: MIXED MEDIA
LEAD ARTIST: HARRY GRAY
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT: DAVID BROWN
The brief: to create a design for an arrival court at the University Library Cambridge.
This proposal is to create an arrival court garden by extending the existing series of steps into a terrace of planting, seating and sculpture. The concept is inspired by the printer’s trays or cases, which were used to contain and organise the lead type.
In this design the geometry of the lower case provides the grid pattern, inlaid into the level surface of the main terrace. The rectangles formed within the grid all relate to the boxes for the different letters of the alphabet. Some boxes are raised to form seating with artworks relating to the letter found in that position in the printer’s case. Other boxes could be recessed to form planters. Artists and poets would collaborate to make artworks for each letter’s position.
This second phase would complete the arrival court framed by the bronze book stacks and realise head librarian Anne Jarvis’ vision “to bring the Library out beyond its walls and create a welcoming space by expanding the entrance beyond the front steps.”