Studio HINGE‘s design for the renovation of the library at the Cricket Club of India, Mumbai, is informed by research into what a library in our digital times can be. Conceived during the COVID-19 lockdown, it goes beyond books to propose the library as a house of knowledge, providing opportunity for people to come together and learn from each other. On a formal level, the design draws from nature, in particular the notion of sitting under a tree with a book, and borrows from the beautiful tree canopy over the adjacent street.
The library plan is laid out like a formal garden, led primarily by considerations of natural light and structural grid. A “boulevard” references the foliage-canopied street outside.
Existing concrete columns are reimagined as trees, with circular bookshelves in Western Hemlock, supported on arching branches which reference the geometry of the pavilion’s colonnade along the cricket ground. The branches are of 16mm thick timber clad over 20mm square hollow box sections in steel (these also serve as conduits, avoiding the need for a suspended ceiling). The branches intertwine overhead, forming intricately woven meshes below the beams, recreating the sense of walking under trees with dappled light filtering through canopies above. Custom terrazzo flooring tiles with chips of marble and green glass create abstract patterns of scattered leaves.
Around the central trees are freestanding bookshelves in circular hedge-like arrangements. Bibliophiles browse within the hedges, before heading to the lounge chairs and sofa benches by the windows for longer reads.
The architects proposed the addition of a multipurpose space by refurbishing an adjacent underutilized Zumba studio for programming related to reading and learning. This includes film screenings, book clubs, new book launches, author readings, and workshops for children and adults. The redesign allows the space to revert back to a dance studio when needed. Engineered oak flooring, mirrored storage cabinets for non-display books and stacking furniture, and a large screen hidden behind folding doors allow the space to used flexibly between disparate functions. A ceiling of undulating timber slats speaks of movement and dance, whilst concealing MEP overhead.
By providing a platform for community activities that bring people together, this additional space has proven the key to activating and revitalizing the library. Post-occupancy surveys have shown significant increase in footfall, particularly among children.
All bookshelves not along walls are lower than 1.2m in height. This allows maximum natural light to permeate and for adults to have an unobstructed view whilst standing, while creating semi-private nooks to sit and read within. For children, the design provides a very different perception, as from their vantage the space between the circular bookshelves is playful, almost labyrinthine.
The Cricket Club of India’s new library emerges as a contemporary, inclusive, and environmentally conscious space. Merging nature-inspired design, people-centric programming, and sustainable practices, the library transcends its traditional role, becoming a vibrant hub for learning, interaction, and community engagement.
Photography by Suryan//Dang.
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