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Chichester Library
Façade Conservation
Tucked quietly into Tower Street, between County Hall and the later arrival of the Novium Museum, Chichester Library had never demanded attention. Instead, it drew it in through balance, proportion, and a calm confidence in its form. Opened in 1967, the library was unmistakably of its time, yet it aged with uncommon grace.
Its significance was formally recognised in 2015, when it was awarded Grade II listed status. English Heritage described it as a building of national importance, an exemplar of post-war library design, and one of the few from its era to survive with such clarity of intent and integrity of fabric.
Client
West Sussex County Council
Dates
7 Jun 2021
—
4 Mar 2022
Location
West Sussex
Grade listing
Grade II
Fabric
Concrete
Designed for a New Civic Age
The building was conceived by county architect R F Steele and constructed between 1965 and 1966 by engineers Ove Arup and Partners, at a time when the practice was also shaping the Sydney Opera House. Its architecture was resolutely modern: an elegant, unbroken rhythm of curved concrete ribs defining the exterior, enclosing sculptural internal spaces carefully lit and expressed through a restrained palette of materials.
It was a civic building designed not to dominate, but to endure.
Looking Beneath the Surface
By the time DBR Southern was appointed, the library’s form remained intact, but time had begun to act quietly upon its materials. The first task was understanding rather than repair.
Designed access scaffolding was erected to allow close inspection, and paint was carefully removed from the concrete ribs to reveal the structure beneath. Non-destructive testing was then carried out to assess the condition of the reinforcement within the concrete, an investigative process that informed every decision that followed.
Strengthening the Structure from Within
The results of the analysis led to a comprehensive programme of anode installation, designed to address corrosion and extend the life of the reinforced concrete. Mortar repairs were undertaken to areas where concrete had failed, reinstating integrity without altering the building’s character.
During these structural repairs, extensive temporary works were introduced to support the portal frame, ensuring stability while interventions were carried out. The process was methodical and carefully sequenced, reflecting the building’s engineering-led origins.
Once repairs were complete, the concrete ribs were skim-coated with a Fosroc anti-carbonation system, followed by Fosroc paint coatings, protective layers designed to preserve both appearance and performance.
Renewing the Building’s Skin
Attention then turned to the library’s windows, each one removed and refurbished in a specially designated site workshop. Frames were repaired, casements redecorated, and new mastic seals installed before the windows were carefully reinstalled in their original positions.
This off-site approach allowed precision and consistency, ensuring that the refurbished windows met modern performance requirements while remaining faithful to the building’s original detailing.
When the works were complete, Chichester Library stood not transformed but reaffirmed. Its concrete protected, its curves clarified, and its calm interiors preserved, DBR Southern helped reveal it as lasting civic architecture, built to serve generations still to come.
