The Hive, Worcester

The Hive, is a large golden-coloured building in Worcester, England, which houses the fully integrated Worcestershire County Council, City of Worcester public library, the University of Worcester's academic library, Worcestershire Record Office, the county Archive and Worcestershire Archaeology Service.

The Hive
General information
TypeLibrary
Architectural style
AddressSawmill Walk, The Butts
Town or cityWorcester
CountryEngland
Opened2 July 2012 (2012-07-02)
Cost£29.7 million
Client
Technical details
Floor area12,371m2
Design and construction
Architecture firmFeilden Clegg Bradley Studios
Structural engineer
Services engineerMax Fordham
Other designersCopper Cladding - Norman and Underwood Ltd
Main contractorGalliford Try
Website
www.thehiveworcester.org

History

The Hive was procured under a private finance initiative programme and was built by Galliford Try at a cost of £60 million.[1] The Hive's joint commissioning clients were the University of Worcester and Worcestershire County Council. Funding was also provided by the National Lottery and the British government's Department for Culture, Media and Sport and Department for Education. It was opened to the public on 2 July 2012 and officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 12 July 2012.[2]

Visitors

The library houses over a quarter of a million books.[3] According to the Annual Public Library Statistics from the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), The Hive issued 903,859 books during the financial year 2013/14 and achieved 978,199 visits. This placed it in first position in the West Midlands.[4]

Aerial view of The Hive and surrounding landscape
The Hive during construction in June 2011

Awards

Awards include:

  • Best new-build project of the year in the Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) Building Performance Awards 2013[5]
  • Sustainable Project of the Year in the Building Awards 2013[6]
  • Outstanding Library Team - Times Higher Leadership and Management Award - June 2013[7]
  • Sustainable Project of the Year - Building Magazine - April 2013[8]
  • Civic Trust Award - March 2013[9]
  • Contribution to the local community through The Hive - Guardian University Award - February 2013[10]
  • New build project of the year (value above £5 million) - CIBSE - February 2013[11]
  • Building Excellence Award - South Worcestershire Building Control - 2012[12]
  • BREEAM Outstanding 86.4% - June 2012[13]
  • Best Sustainability in a Project- Public Private Partnership Awards - May 2012[14]

Further reading

Better Public Libraries; Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment; 2003 RIBA Journal; April 2012 CIBSE Journal; March 2013

References
  1. "Footbridge installed at Worcester's Hive project". BBC. 19 September 2011.
  2. "The day the Queen came to Worcester". Worcester News. 12 July 2012.
  3. "The Hive Website". The Hive. The Hive, Worcester. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  4. "Worcester Library most popular in the West Midlands". CIPFA.
  5. "Archive news from the Worcester News". www.worcesternews.co.uk.
  6. "Hive's green theme helps it land award". Worcester News.
  7. "University wins prestigious Times Higher Ward". Worcester University.
  8. "Sustainable project of the year 2013". Building.
  9. "The Hive". Civic Trust Awards.
  10. "University of Worcester Scoops National Newspaper Award - The Hive". www.thehiveworcester.org.
  11. "Hive Wins International Award - The Hive". www.thehiveworcester.org.
  12. "Elections 2019 Results - Worcester City Council". www.worcester.gov.uk.
  13. "The Hive". BREEM.
  14. "The Hive scoops national sustainability award - The Hive". www.thehiveworcester.org.

52.19378°N 2.22594°W / 52.19378; -2.22594

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