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Project Showcase
BIM enables sustainable design
for light-filled library
Raymond Chandler Library, Alma-nac, United Kingdom
Dulwich College Lower School Library, London | Alma-nac, alma-nac.com | Photo: © Jack Hobhouse
Estimated reading time: 1 minute
Summary
Alma-nac Architects delivered an award-winning library for Dulwich College, meeting BREEAM Excellent, UK Green Building Council, LETI and RIBA net-zero targets. Designing in Archicad with a focus on sustainable BIM design, the team worked closely with external consultants throughout, sharing data via IFC and using BIMx as a working tool to aid project discussions.
Meanwhile, the team used the Archicad-Enscape plug-in to create a full walkaround model that the school leadership team could explore in VR. The result is a sustainable, light-filled, flexible space which has proved hugely popular with pupils.
Team
Sustainability and community architecture
Alma-nac Architects is a London-based practice with a focus on residential, education and community projects.
As a registered B-Corp architecture studio, Alma-nac harnesses sustainable BIM design to positively enhance the context, community and environment in which it works. The practice aims to learn from the environmental impact of its design choices and fosters a culture of continuous learning and development.
Project: Dulwich College Lower School Library
Location: Dulwich, London, United Kingdom
Firm: Alma-nac
Project Type: Education
Project Size: 870 sqm / 9,365 sqft
Year of Completion: 2024
Software used: Graphisoft Archicad, Graphisoft BIMx, Enscape
Sketches of the new Raymond Chandler Library | © Alma-nac, alma-nac.com
Sustainable BIM design
A pioneering project for sustainable BIM design
The Dulwich College leadership wanted to redevelop its lower and junior school to provide a much-needed upgrade, with the first phase providing a new library, ICT suite, two new classrooms and teacher offices.
Alma-nac delivered the striking new Raymond Chandler Library for the school, providing a light-filled space for students to learn, study and socialize.
The College’s primary objective was to ensure any new building achieved genuine, deep-rooted sustainability rather than superficial “green bling.” While a BREEAM Excellent rating was successfully targeted and achieved, the team’s core focus remained on reaching net-zero carbon. By employing a fabric-first approach, the project successfully delivered a net-zero embodied and operational carbon building, fully aligned with the UK Green Building Council, LETI, and RIBA net-zero targets.
As an institution, Dulwich College has further ambitious sustainability goals. The library building was seen as a pioneering project that set the precedent for subsequent phases of development and upgrade.
Project Gallery
Dulwich College Lower School Library, London, UK, Alma-nac, alma-nac.com , Photo: © Jack Hobhouse
Dulwich College Lower School Library, London, UK, Alma-nac, alma-nac.com , Photo: © Jack Hobhouse
Dulwich College Lower School Library, London, UK, Alma-nac, alma-nac.com
Dulwich College Lower School Library, London, UK, Alma-nac, alma-nac.com
Dulwich College Lower School Library, London, UK, Alma-nac, alma-nac.com
Dulwich College Lower School Library, London, UK, Alma-nac, alma-nac.com , Photo: © Jack Hobhouse
Dulwich College Lower School Library, London, UK, Alma-nac, alma-nac.com
Dulwich College Lower School Library, London, UK, Alma-nac, alma-nac.com
Dulwich College Lower School Library, London, UK, Alma-nac, alma-nac.com
Dulwich College Lower School Library, London, UK, Alma-nac, alma-nac.com
Dulwich College Lower School Library, London, UK, Alma-nac, alma-nac.com
Dulwich College Lower School Library, London, UK, Alma-nac, alma-nac.com
Dulwich College Lower School Library, London, UK, Alma-nac, alma-nac.com
Dulwich College Lower School Library, London, UK, Alma-nac, alma-nac.com
Dulwich College Lower School Library, London, UK, Alma-nac, alma-nac.com
Dulwich College Lower School Library, London, UK, Alma-nac, alma-nac.com
Dulwich College Lower School Library, London, UK, Alma-nac, alma-nac.com
Dulwich College Lower School Library, London, UK, Alma-nac, alma-nac.com
Dulwich College Lower School Library, London, UK, Alma-nac, alma-nac.com
Visualization
Testing and visualizing designs in Archicad
A key part of Alma-nac’s brief was to keep both embodied and operational carbon as low as possible.
Designing in Archicad from the outset, Alma-nac tested three fabric options for the new library building’s structure: cross-laminated timber (CLT), concrete, and hybrid (including high-recycled-content lightweight steel, low-cement concrete decks and a glulam timber roof).
Working closely with building consultants HRW Engineers and Max Fordham, Alma-nac carefully examined each option and compared heating and cooling requirements, overall material use and cost, and design aesthetic.
Meanwhile, Alma-nac used the Archicad-Enscape plug-in to create a full walkaround model, providing realistic visualizations that the school leadership team could experience. VR headsets allowed the client to stand in parts of the building and engage with the materials, light and scale of each space.
Enroll in Graphisoft Learn’s Advanced Visualization in Archicad course to understand the complete workflow of how to create high-impact renders of your projects with Archicad’s built-in rendering engines.
Enscape visualization and photo of the completed library space
Alma-nac, alma-nac.com, Photo: © Jack Hobhouse
Archicad allows us to test different designs very quickly, so we can provide clients with the opportunities and constraints for each option.
Adam Shapland, Associate at Alma-nac
Discover how Archicad supports creative design thinking and collaboration while boosting productivity.
BIMx
BIMx for communication
In the early stages of design, the team geo-located the model and carefully examined light levels and daylight quality. The aim was to bring in plenty of natural light, and the initial designs included much more glazing at the top of the building. Energy modeling by consultants Max Fordham revealed that this would have resulted in overheating, so Alma-nac re-worked the design through a process of refinement.
Throughout the project, Alma-nac regularly shared the BIMx model and IFC with the external consultants, helping to improve communication, demonstrate design intent and troubleshoot problems.
Explore, present, and coordinate with BIMx! Share Your Archicad Project with BIMx is a free, self-paced online course on how to export your Archicad model to BIMx and how to explore the BIMx model on any device.
We shared the BIMx and IFC model with the consultants we were working with. There’s a huge amount of value in having both the Archicad model and the full BIMx model to refer to.
Adam Shapland, Associate at Alma-nac
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Coordination
Team coordination and clash detection
Although the project was divided into two distinct phases, Alma-nac modeled both phases in a single Archicad model. The result was a very detailed Teamwork project, and one large file that required careful coordination with the M&E and structural consultants.
Alma-nac exchanged information with the consultants via IFC and managed any clashes directly within Archicad using the Collision Detection feature. These clashes were subsequently discussed and resolved in design team meetings.
Using a point cloud survey, Alma-nac gained a highly detailed view of the existing site. The team brought the point cloud model directly into Archicad and used it to coordinate with the steel manufacturers, aided by clash detection reports to ensure accuracy.
To keep the Archicad model a manageable size, Alma-nac deployed hotlinks where possible, reduced polygon counts, and only modeled elements of the design required for drawing production.
Master point cloud workflows in Archicad with our self‑paced
online course, Work with Point Clouds in Archicad.
Graphisoft was on hand to advise us on the best way to manage such a large model in Archicad, and offered plenty of support both via the helpdesk and in person. This was the largest project we had done in terms of scale and cost. It was therefore a learning process with respect to modeling and coordination.
Adam Shapland, Associate at Alma-nac
Energy strategies of the new Raymond Chandler Library | © Alma-nac, alma-nac.com
Materials and structure
A hybrid structure for sustainability
Following detailed testing, the team opted for a hybrid structure. With a lightweight steel frame, thin concrete decks and an exposed glulam roof structure, the building used less material.
While building a fully CLT library would have meant less embodied carbon, it also meant less potential for passive cooling, as the thermal mass would be lower. Shorter spans were also necessary with CLT, which would have meant more columns and deeper beams in the double-height library space.
The result is a light-filled library building with elements of exposed timber that provides a calm learning environment, clearly demonstrating to pupils and visitors the structure and how materials meet.
Powered 100% by electricity, the library is fitted with an air-source heat pump and a mechanical ventilation and heat recovery (MVHR) system. The next phase of the project will include photovoltaic panels for electricity generation.
Dulwich College Lower School Library, London | Alma-nac, alma-nac.com
Cross-section of the double-height library space
Dulwich College Lower School Library, London | Alma-nac, alma-nac.com
Sustainability strategy
Dulwich College Lower School Library, London | Alma-nac, alma-nac.com
Inspiration
An inspirational learning space
Completed in 2024, the multiple-award-winning Raymond Chandler Library is a light-filled, double-height space with a flexible design. It has become the heart of the lower school, a new common room for studying, reading and socializing.
The natural materials are accented with pops of color, while the bespoke spiral staircase provides an elegant feature that invites pupils to use the upper study level. Meanwhile, the first and second floors benefit from long views across the wider campus, to the City of London, green open spaces and study nooks for individual learning.
With fresh air ventilation, the spaces are comfortable and pleasant to be in, remaining cool in summer and warm in winter. Built to Passivhaus principles, the building is highly efficient and low-cost to run, compared to buildings of a similar scale. Moreover, the new library has proved hugely popular with pupils, and the number of books being borrowed has doubled.