SCALA Civic Building of the Year Competition, 2008

Highly Commended

Leeds City Council
The Tiled Hall & Library

The Grade II Listed Tiled Hall, originally created as a Victorian Public reading room, had fallen into disuse and suffered a series of unsympathetic alteration works, the most dramatic being the introduction of a reinforced concrete mezzanine structure. These additions were recently removed and the sad state of the hall revealed. Many original loose tiles had been salvaged and stored by the library staff, but a huge number of others had been damaged or lost.

In 2005, in order to resolve DDA issues to the Central Library and Art Gallery, it was agreed to link the two adjacent buildings by recreating an earlier arch in the eastern wall of the Tiled Hall, opening it to the entrance of the Art Gallery. As this would expose the sad state of the Tiled Hall to the public, an ambitious plan was agreed to conserve and refurbish the space. Various arches were corrected, loose tiles removed and intact ones taken away to be cleaned and copied. The remaining tiled surfaces were then cleaned, archives consulted and new matching tiles eventually fired and carefully fixed to recreate the intricate patterns and original Victorian splendour, hidden to a generation.

Since completion it has become an increasingly popular visitors venue. A franchised café now occupies the eastern end and a shop the western end.

Architect, Quantity Surveyor, Structural Engineer, Mechanical and Electrical Engineer:

The Strategic Design Alliance

Main Contractor:

JW Taylor Ltd

Specialist Tile Consultant:

Heritage Tile Conservation Ltd