The new state-of-the-art vault will be home to 800 years of the city’s history and is part of the £1.6m Heritage Lottery Fund-supported Gateway to History project to preserve and open up York’s internationally-important archives to people across the city – and across the world. Thousands of books, manuscripts and maps will be safely stored on nearly a mile of shelves in the climate-controlled box.
Designs revealed today (see attached) show the new second floor extension to the Grade II-listed York Explore. Built above the current children’s section and café, the design is purposefully modern in line with English Heritage’s advice to distinguish it from the original 1920s design by York architect Walter Brierley. Brierley had always intended that the complete building would have two storeys, but the intended second phase stalled in the 1960s and was never completed.
Bisset Adams Architects were commissioned to design the new extension which is completely reversible in line with conservation best practice, and construction is now being carried out by local firm William Birch & Sons Ltd.
Councillor Sonja Crisp, City of York Council’s Cabinet Member for Leisure, Culture and Tourism, said: “The new archive vault will be covered in gold and copper coloured stainless steel panels that hint at the treasures stored inside. The design also reflects the pattern of the city walls directly behind the building. This construction method makes the box water-tight and light-weight. This is crucial because the archives themselves are extremely heavy so that when the vault is filled, it will weigh the equivalent of five additional storeys.
“All aspects of the city’s history will be kept in the ‘gold box’, from complaints about mediaeval prostitutes and the city’s reaction to the death of Richard III to the defence of York in the Second World War and new archives created by today’s citizens”
Lee Scaife, Contracts Manager for William Birch & Sons Ltd, said: “Over the last few weeks, preparations on site have focused on the arrival of the new box. Craning sections of the new archive store into position has required a comprehensive logistical strategy to ensure that we preserve the fabric of the Grade II listed library and carry out the works safely, whilst maintaining continued access to the library. Over the coming weeks, we will be roofing and cladding the box in its golden and bronze outer casing which will gently weather over time.”
The construction of the new vault at York Explore marks the next phase of the Gateway to History project. Up to this point, William Birch & Sons Ltd has been strengthening the building structure to take the additional weight. Once the new vault has been secured it will be finished in-situ and the focus will turn to renovating the first floor to create new spaces for access to the valuable documents.
York Explore’s children’s section and cafe will reopen when the first floor closes to the public. The library will be shut all day on Thursday 20 March to allow staff to reorganise the building and it will reopen on Friday 21March.
The new archive is scheduled to open at the end of 2014. York Explore will close for the most intensive period of construction and renovation at the beginning of June for a period of five months. During this time opening hours will be increased at the city’s other libraries. More detail will be released as work progresses and necessary timetable is confirmed.
