'Super-library' to have leaky roof replaced

The library's leaking roof caused timber to rot and external cladding panels to detach

A £14m "super-library" is set to have its leaking roof replaced, 13 years after the building opened.

Southwark Council said in a cabinet report that leaks from the mineral felt roof on Canada Water Library caused timber to rot and external cladding panels to detach from the walling.

It plans to spend £1.7m replacing the felt with a metal roof.

The council said there were “ongoing legal proceedings regarding works to the roof of Canada Water Library".

'Rotting away'

The council dubbed it a super-library when it opened in 2011, boasting a stock of 40,000 books, CDs and films.

The building, with its inverted pyramid shape, was heralded by the council as the "shape of libraries to come".

It was designed by architect Piers Gough, of CZWG Architects.

A spokesperson for the firm said the library's roof was the result of a "cost-saving" redesign away from the original architectural proposal.

In the cabinet report, the council said there had been a "failure of the roof system to keep water out of the building".

This, it said, resulted in "the timber construction rotting away due to the leaks coming from the parapets of the roof".

'Southwark Council made a cost saving'

Portia Mwangangye, Southwark Council cabinet member for leisure, parks and young people, said: “Libraries are invaluable to our community, providing vital services and spaces for learning, connection, and support.

"We remain committed to investing in our libraries to ensure they continue to meet the needs of our residents.

“Due to ongoing legal proceedings regarding works to the roof of Canada Water Library, we are unable to provide any further information beyond that contained in the cabinet report at this stage."

A spokesperson for CZWG Architects said they had expected the library's roof waterproofing "to last 35 years or more".

"The construction of the flat roof is primarily a conventional concrete slab," they said.

"We specified a conventional polymer modified asphalt waterproofing. This would have been normal construction for the shape and form of this flat roof.

"Southwark Council, however, made a cost saving by agreeing to a ‘high-performance’ felt roof.

"The roof finish was redesigned... and installed by a subcontractor with a 35-year manufacturer’s guarantee.

"We are aware of the failure of a limited area of the waterproofing of the roof but not the council’s current proposal to replace all or part of it."