Construction begins on the British Library Extension

Held by Mitsui Fudosan UK, a groundbreaking ceremony took place on Monday 21 September to mark the formal start of works to deliver a 700,000 sq ft extension to the existing Library building.

The ceremony – which incorporated a series of Shinto rituals to prepare the site for construction work and to ask the ‘kami’ or guardian spirits of the land for good luck and a safe delivery of the project – followed a time-honoured Japanese tradition with a priest or ‘saikan’ officiating.

Attended by more than 100 people, guests included representatives from local community groups in the Somers Town area, Camden Council and business organisations based in the King’s Cross Knowledge Quarter.

"Breaking ground is an exciting milestone for this highly ambitious and complex project," said Lorna Edwards, Associate Director at RSHP. "Bringing together culture, science and innovation, it will create a new piece of city that connects communities, strengthens the Knowledge Quarter and delivers lasting public benefit. We are enormously proud of the collaboration behind it and of the fantastic RSHP team bringing this shared vision to life."

Proposals for the extension – due to be completed in 2032 – will create transformational new public spaces for the British Library alongside new, globally significant capacity for commercial science, innovation and knowledge-based industries.

Once completed, the proposal will create an expanded national Library in London with exhibitions, learning programmes, business support, events and more. Offering a significantly expanded Library by adding around 100,000 sq ft (9,290 sq m) of new public space, connected to the community and open to the world, the proposal will feature:

• New exhibition galleries, doubling the size of the Library’s existing gallery space and enabling greater interaction with the national collection.

• Expanded and more diverse spaces for the Library’s well-established business support services, helping entrepreneurs to start and scale up new businesses and new maker spaces to help users create and pilot new innovative products.

• A brand-new learning centre providing enhanced educational experiences for visitors of all ages, including an expanded offer for families.

• An expanded multi-use foyer space, open to all, with event spaces available for local businesses and the community, with additional new entrances to welcome everyone to come in and explore.

The groundbreaking ceremony (‘Ji chin sai’), incorporated a groundbreaking ritual (‘Ji chin no gi’) in which participants use a spade to break the ground three times yelling ‘Eih’, an old custom to draw the attention of the guardian spirit of the land, while showing respect to the earth. It also included the ‘Tamagushi houten’ in which participants dedicate an evergreen sprig to express harmony with nature.

The development is being delivered by SMBL, a company wholly owned by Mitsui Fudosan UK, and its partner the British Library with Stanhope PLC as development manager. The construction manager is Mace Construct. Last year, Mitsui Fudosan Ltd confirmed a £1.1 billion funding package for the extension.