Main Use: The building provides a library and a partnership of information services from the council and other community and public groups for the local community. The library includes services for children and youth, informal ‘learning clusters’ and community spaces), with information services with a particular focus on employment and health advice. Previous Use of Site: The site was previously an area of drab, under-utilised public realm located on the Commercial Road, directly to the north of the Western block of the Watney Market development; a post-war commercial and residential development constructed with exposed concrete frame and brick facades. A key constraint of the site has been the adjacency of the East London Line underground. The air vent from the underground line below sits on the edge of the site and has been be a major factor in the development, through the requirement of detailed permissions and approvals. Special Details: The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is moving forward with an exciting new generation of their ground-breaking Idea Stores, still a benchmark nationally and internationally for innovation in the provision of community library and learning services. Watney Market Idea Store is a Big Lottery funded community project, and the first of a new generation of Idea Stores, based on a local ‘cornershop’ model offering library, learning and information with an emphasis on employment and health advice. Bisset Adams are the architects on the new Watney Market Idea Store, building on a long working relationship with Tower Hamlets on the Idea Stores concept , branding and architecture starting in 1998, and since acting as project architect for the Bow Idea Store which opened in 2002. Over the past decade Idea Stores have remained a national exemplar in increasing book issues, engaging local people in learning and training, constantly increasing membership and usage, and inspiring and empowering staff within the service to build on successes. Watney Market Idea Store also acts as the ‘control tower’ of local section 106 community buildings and facilitate the usage of such spaces.

Was there a turf cutting ceremony: A Ceremony took place to mark the beginning of construction work on Idea Store Watney Market in September 2011. The event was organised by Idea Store with Children from local primary school, Blue Gate Fields, taking part. Representatives from the Big Lottery Fund and members from the project team including architect Bisset Adams and main contractor Osborne What the building offers to the occupants: Watney Market is the first of a new generation of Idea Stores brings library services together with multiagency information services in the form of a ‘marketplace of information’ at ground floor, offering tangible benefits to the local community in the areas of health and employment. Adult, teenager and children's libraries are spread out over the three floors of the building, with an excellent book stock and book shop style service on the ground floor to encourage reading, alongside provision of informal, flexible ‘learning clusters’, specialist age-group areas, meeting and activity spaces, in a technology-rich and stimulating environment. The new building provides a visually stimulating and innovative centre which engages with and belongs to the local community, sending out a message of inclusion and diversity. Bisset Adams’s design for the building directly reflects this inclusive message, with a high performance innovative façade and feature staircase visible from the outside to draw visitors up into the building. Main drivers behind the project: - The new generation of Idea Stores is on a more compact, local model, with an emphasis on library and information services aiming to offer benefits in employment and health; the continuing impact of the Building Schools for the Future programme, which offers wider access to learning and training has reduced the need for learning and training courses within Idea Stores; - An identified need for integrated information and service provision to local communities; - improvements in community health and employment identified as a priority by Tower Hamlets. Historic projects between Tower Hamlets and Bisset Adams (Architects): Bisset Adams is an innovative architectural practice with additional specialisms in interior design and brand communications; the practice developed the original Idea Store concept and brand in 1998 with the core values of ‘Engage, Enrich and Empower’, and subsequently acted as project architect on the Bow Idea Store. Over the past decade Bisset Adams has played a key role in refreshing the Idea Store brand throughout existing sites, and is now delighted to be architects on Watney Market Idea Store. Bisset Adams is known for expertise in library design, working with young people, and community engagement during design projects.

Special features of building: Bisset Adams’s design of the building responds to key requirements of the brief, particularly accessibility, inclusion, creation of community space, and sustainability. A key design feature is the main staircase linking all floors and presented as a highly visible element through the glazed façade overlooking the Commercial Road. The staircase features luminous green colourings that are inherent in the Idea Store identity. The building is designed as a landmark, with a high performance facade formed of patterned glazing and Tresparainscreen cladding. The integrated pattern is a celebration of the many different cultures coming together in the local community, in line with the Idea Store values and beliefs. The north-facing façade is glazed, formed largely of translucent panels, providing high levels of natural light without excessive solar gain. The building glows at night acting as a beacon to the surrounding area and as an entrance to Watney Market. Internally, the design provides for a highly flexible space, based around the concept of the ‘marketplace’ of information and services on the ground floor, with library and informal learning services on the upper floors. The building has been designed to meet challenging London Plan Energy Performance requirements. The project received a BREEAM accreditation of ‘very good’ and a number of measures were incorporated into the design to achieve this. These include a semi intensive green and brown roof, concrete floor plates for thermal insulation, and photovoltaic cells on the roof.