John Rylands Entrance and Shading Screens

Main Entrance and Shading Screens for Nissen Richards and Donald Insall Associates

John Rylands Library, Manchester.

June 2025

millimetre crafted new features for John Rylands Library for it’s Next Chapter development. Including metalwork for the John Rylands entrance and shading screens for it’s new events space.

We made 19 pivoting oak shading screens from timber slats framed in a blackened steel. Framing two glazed elevations of the ground floor events space of the library the screens provide privacy and shade without blocking daylight.

We created each screen from an oak frame that contains vertical oak slats. We then further framed the oak in 8mm patinated black mild steel. Each screen has an offset pivot mechanism allowing it to be rotated, letting in various amounts of light.

The main entrance metalwork is formed from 3mm thick Phosphor bronze sheet. The new entrance canopy was fully fabricated and assembled in our workshop prior to being broken down into pieces for delivery.

Designed by Donald Insall Associates the canopy has a structural steel framework which is overclad with bronze. The inner bronze sheets were acid etched with a distinctive pattern before being formed into shape.