The winning scheme by Penoyre & Prasad particularly impressed the Judging Panel, standing out for its outstanding contextual analysis, and attention to the architectural quality of the reading spaces.

The original Frewen Library, located in the Ravelin Park on the Guildhall Campus in Portsmouth, was built in two phases in the 70s and 80s and is arranged on three floors.

Each floor is devoted to specific subject areas and contains all books, journals and reference material related to those areas (Science & Technology; Social Sciences/Built Environment; Arts and Humanities).