Fleming is pleased to announce that one of our recent projects, the Thomas Graham Community Library was ‘Highly Commended’ in the Community Benefit category at the 2024 National Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyor (RICS) Awards on the 4th of October in London.
Situated in Strathblane, the library is significant for several reasons, being the first community-owned public library to be built in Scotland for generations.
RICS – a globally recognised professional body – highly commended the project for its ‘good value engineering’ that enabled the project to be cost-effective without detracting from its intended purpose, making it a valuable community asset.
With the previous library receiving 33,000 visitors per year, the ageing structure was in need of a revamp to better serve Strathblane and the nearby towns of Blanefield, Mugdock and Carbeth. While this kind of project would usually be council-led, the new library was spearheaded by donations from the area’s 2300-strong local population.
Designed by Thomas Robinson Architects, the site acts both as a traditional library and as a much-needed hub for locals, making it an exemplary case of a project that honours the past while looking to the future of our planet, all the while imparting knowledge and strengthening community.
