We are proud to announce that a team formed by TVK and Carmody Groarke has won an open international competition for the new conservation centre for the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF) in Amiens. Our team was chosen from a four-strong shortlist including OMA with DATA, Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners (RSHP) with Atelier WOA and Atelier d’Architecture Philippe Prost (AAPP).

The project aims to fulfil the strategic need for more space to house the growing French national library collection and set a new standard for excellence in library conservation. The winning project comprises two new buildings within a landscaped park masterplan: a 180m-long passive archive for state-of-the-art collection storage and a timber framed office building with a central courtyard for people and conservation processes. The project builds on the team’s shared experience within the UK and France including Carmody Groarke’s history of building low-carbon archive buildings, learning from the British Library, Boston Spa and TVK’s experience of designing large-scale projects in urban environments. It is Carmody Groarke’s first public commission in France.