Reduced access and hoursUntil 2014, access to the Photographs Collection will be very limited. Some books and journals will be available by advanced request only. Temporary opening hours operate from now to the end of May 2013.
Noise, reduced access and temporary opening hours: March 2013 - spring 2014
The RIBA is developing a new permanent gallery| at its London headquarters on 66 Portland Place. Designed by architects Carmody Groarke, and opening in spring 2014, this exciting new exhibition space will allow us to display a far wider range of the British Architectural Library|'s collections than ever before and to share them with new and growing audiences for architecture. Service users, particularly intending visitors, are advised to check this page and opening hours| for updates or contact us|.
Temporary changes to the Library and services include:
Noisy works and planned summer closure
May 2013 – early 2014
Visitors to 66 Portland Place may experience some noise disruption throughout the gallery construction period between now and early 2014. Updated information of day-to-day expected noise levels is available on building work|.
The Library's Reading Room and collections of books, periodicals and photographs at 66 Portland Place will not be accessible to visitors between Sunday 28 July and Monday 2 September 2013 (dates inclusive). They will reopen 10am Tuesday 3 September.
Temporary reduction in opening hours (Reading Room)
March – May 2013
To facilitate the construction work, significant parts of the Library's collections are being relocated between early April and late May 2013. Completion of the extensive preparatory work will require us to redeploy some of our staff resource, resulting in a temporary reduction in opening hours to users. We apologise for the disruption to services at what we know is a critical time of the academic year and ask you to bear with us.
Between Tuesday 12 March 2013 and Monday 27 May 2013 (dates inclusive), the opening hours| of the Reading Room (66 Portland Place) will be:
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Sunday - Monday
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closed
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Tuesday
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12pm (noon) - 8pm
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Wednesday
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11am - 4pm
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Thursday
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closed
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Friday
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11am - 4pm
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Saturday
(closed 25 May)
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10am - 1.30pm
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Normal hours will be restored on Tuesday 28 May 2013. There is no change to the opening hours of the Library's Drawings and Archives Collections and RIBA Architecture Study Rooms at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
The Robert Elwall Photographs Collection
March 2013 - March 2014
Access to the Photographs Collection| will be substantially reduced over the coming year, with much of it unavailable before March 2014. In the run up to the moves, and until the building works are complete, viewing appointments for photographs will be strictly limited. We apologise for the inconvenience and ask you to bear with us during the construction period. Anyone with specific queries about the photograph collections should contact:
photo@riba.org| .
There are over 72,000 images from the collections available from our image library at www.ribapix.com| ; our Imaging Services team can be contacted at ribapix@riba.org| .
Books and Periodicals Collection
April 2013 - April 2014
From 15 April 2013 to April 2014, due to relocation, some items from the Books and Periodicals Collection| will be available by appointment only or will not be accessible.
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Location or shelfmark (indicated in the online catalogue|)
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Current access
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77 Portland Place, BASEMENT, BOX, Pamphlet or AV
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Advanced appointment
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SP-COLL
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Special request
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HANDLEY-READ
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No access
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Advanced appointment
Some books and periodicals are now stored offsite and can be requested with advanced notice. On the online catalogue these items have the location| or shelfmark: 77 Portland Place, BASEMENT, BOX, Pamphlet or AV. They are available to visitors via the Reading Room (66 Portland Place), but all requests must be received before any visit with the following length of notice:
To consult these items please fill in the 'Closed Access Request form' and email the completed form to info@riba.org| . Please mark your email 'Closed Access Request'.
Special request or no access
For conservation reasons any books or periodicals with the location 'SP-COLL' can only be seen by special request. All items with the location 'HANDLEY-READ' will be unavailable due to the fragility of the material.
May 2013
RIBApix| Image of the Month
'Permanent guardsmen' street decorations for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II along Whitehall, London, 1953
Designer: Sir Hugh Maxwell Casson
Photographer: Reginald Hugo de Burgh Galwey
Image: © Architectural Press Archive / RIBA Library Photographs Collection
Open 14 May - 4 September 2013, the Library's free exhibition 'A Visual Journey Through the Indian Subcontinent' is part of the RIBA's 'Out of India' season of talks, exhibitions, and events celebrating Charles Correa's achievements and the donation of his archive to the RIBA,and the stories and architecture from India.
Image: © RIBA Library Photographs Collection
|Taj Mahal|, Agra, seen from the bank of the Yamuna River, 1800s
April 2013
Polychrome Lens exhibition – Last month
The 'Polychrome Lens: Colour in Architectural Photography' display in the Library has now been extended to 4 May 2013. Anyone who missed exhibition curator Justine Sambrook's 'Colour in Architectural Photography' talk can view it via YouTube|.
Image: © RIBA Library Photographs Collection
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Bridge| of Kara-Keui, Constantinople, 1890s
March 2013
RIBApix| Image of the Month
Richmond Station, North Yorkshire: the train shed seen from the abandoned rail track, 1969
Architect: George Townsend Andrews
Photographer: Sam Lambert
This branch line terminus for the Great North of England Railway closed in 1969. Read more about this image and the 'Beeching Axe' on RIBA Blogs|.
Image: © Architectural Press Archive / RIBA Library Photographs Collection
February 2013
RIBApix| Image of the Month
Chamber of Deputies and National Congress buildings, Eixo Monumental, Brasilia, 1962
Architect: Oscar Niemeyer
Photographer: Monica Pidgeon
Brasilia was planned and developed with Lucio Costa as chief urban planner and Oscar Niemeyer as principal architect. It formally became the capital of Brazil in 1960.
Image: © Monica Pidgeon / RIBA Library Photographs Collection
January 2013
RIBApix| Image of the Month
Miramonte, Kingston upon Thames, London, 1937
Architect: Edwin Maxwell Fry
Photographer: Dell & Wainwright
Made of reinforced concrete, Miramonte is an example of the Modern Movement. Since 1983 it has been Grade II listed.
Image: © Dell & Wainwright / RIBA Library Photographs Collection
Other news
For news from the rest of the RIBA go to News and Press|.
Read about the latest activities of the Library and share your comments on RIBA Blogs|.