Our thoughtful refurbishment has transformed a previously gloomy university reading room in a 1970s building. Our interior designers created a new kind of learning space that champions wellbeing, reconnects students to nature, and encourages collaborative learning.
Health Sciences Library
- Client: University of Leeds
- Location: Worsley Building, Leeds
Services
- Interior design
- Social value
- Sustainability
Awards
- FX Design Awards 2025
Social value
We worked closely with the university students and staff to evolve our original brief, creating a different type of space to the quiet, individually focused areas that formed the majority of the previous unwelcoming Health Sciences Library.
Wellbeing was a key focus of our interior design strategy; we embraced several biophilic design elements including the introduction of natural light, planting and the use of colour and texture to strengthen the connection to nature.
Working with students and staff we developed the idea of a comfortable ‘home room’ style collaborative space, where students would be happy to spend large amounts of time, study, socialise, relax and unwind.
It’s a really welcoming, warm and inviting space. HLM has done a great job to make it somewhere that students feel at home.
Michael Fake Associate Director: Student Learning and Experience, University of Leeds
Designing for collaboration and connection
Our approach to the Health Sciences Library focused on designing for collaboration and connection, ensuring students benefit from an environment that actively supports teamwork and shared learning.
We designed flexible spaces to give students the choice to either unplug and unwind, or to encourage interaction; with integrated technology and seamless connectivity to enable access to a wide range of collaborative digital tools.
A new, welcoming entrance sets a positive, user-friendly tone for visitors. And at the heart of the design, we designed a striking staircase to link the library levels – a bold architectural highlight, the staircase inspires movement and discovery.
Grounded in nature
At the heart of this design strategy is the implementation of biomimicry and biophilic design principles, to reconnect individuals with nature and promote wellbeing.
One of our primary goals was to introduce natural light into the library space, which previously had no connection to the outside at all. We created large skylights that fill the space with natural light, helping with natural circadian rhythms, and creating the right environment for plants.
Our interior design scheme focuses on using natural, durable and sustainable materials and finishes that minimise environmental impact, and create a healthy, calm environment.
Supporting neurodiverse students
We developed a technology-enhanced ‘bring your own device’ space in a previously an under-utilised IT suite. The new space offers the capability to share and discuss work on larger screens in both formal and informal seating areas.
Our ideas then evolved into a design guide that supports neurodiversity and enhances students wellbeing, which is being trialled in this space, then refined through user feedback and used to inform the future development of the university estate.
