The University of Greenwich invited GTH to explore how Southwood House could be transformed into the permanent home of a new library and community hub. The feasibility study set out a vision for a campus landmark that could support contemporary learning, strengthen links with the surrounding neighbourhood, and contribute to the University’s ambition for a net zero carbon estate by 2030.

The project was driven by the idea of the library as a civic living room, not simply a place for books, but a welcoming environment for study, collaboration, events and everyday encounter. GTH explored how the building could become a shared social heart for the campus, outward-facing in character and designed to be active throughout the day and evening.

Reuse and adaptation formed a central principle of the proposal. Rather than pursuing demolition and replacement, the study treated the existing Victorian structure as a valuable resource: the home for a contemporary 21st-century library, capable of accommodating flexible learning environments while significantly reducing embodied carbon. Carefully positioned new additions were proposed to provide the required floor area, improve performance and frame a new public square at the campus threshold.

The proposal placed equal emphasis on learning, wellbeing and community life. A variety of study settings were envisioned around a central atrium and promenade, supporting different modes of learning from quiet focus to group work. At ground level, community-focused uses including a village hall, teaching kitchen, nursery and GP surgery, were integrated to encourage interaction between the University and its neighbours, and to establish the building as a genuinely shared asset.

The Southwood House study offered a values-led model for campus development rooted in reuse, environmental responsibility and social connection, enabling people to come together and thrive.