In December 2006, the Architects Design Partnership published the design report for the redevelopment of Augustine House, which would subsequently change the landscape of Canterbury Christ Church University. With a floor area of approximately 13,000m2<\/sup>, Augustine House was the single largest development undertaken by the University at the time. The campus had expanded dramatically from its early development as a teacher training institution and \u2013 as a result \u2013 it became clear that a new library building was crucial for the growth of the university.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Photo credit: John Marshall c. 1990s<\/em>. The old library was located in the Laud building on the North Holmes Road Campus. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Archives<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The library\u2019s archives have a collection of proposed floorplans for the building by HazleMcCormackYoung (HMY) Chartered Architects which were drawn up in April 2004 \u2013 all of which mentioned the need for a new learning resource centre and some suggesting constructing a new auditorium.[1] One proposal came up with the idea of integrating the design with the former Clarkson House which sat on the same site.[2] However, the university opted to demolish the existing building and start from scratch. The auditorium was included and is used for large conferences, examinations and public events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Photo credit: Clarkson House – A scanned copy of a photograph in the University archive (CC\/U\/460) c. 2005.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The new building, located in the heart of Canterbury was to become a \u2018flagship\u2019 for the institution. As the proposed building had to be kept below the height of the existing Clarkson House, the footprint had to be expanded to fulfil the requirements of the university. HMY explains that the building was broken up into component pieces to look like a series of buildings and reduce the visual impact the structure has on the surrounding environment. Around 20 percent of the energy consumed would be from renewable sources, primarily from ground-sourced heating and cooling systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Appearance<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The design called for two rectangular blocks either side of a central atrium, and diagonal slots that have been \u201cscribed\u201d into them, creating two innovative visual links to Canterbury Cathedral and Dane John Mound. This clever attention to detail therefore creates a \u201cheart\u201d to the building.<\/p>\n\n\n Photo credit: Mark Spier<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The series of bridges and platforms linking the two wings further reinforces the diagonal geometry of the building. The front fa\u00e7ade is intrinsic to the buildings design; the structurally glazed glass panels provide reflections of the city wall and allow views into the building at night. On the exterior, combinations of stone, glass and metal have been used in different shades of grey to represent the colours of the flint city wall opposite.<\/p>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/638\/2025\/07\/20220718151359_01.jpg\")
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