A dilapidated building on Paisley’s High Street now houses a public library. This paisley library conversion is shortlisted for the RIAS Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award, and a new film by photographer Jim Stephenson shows how the conversion works.
The film is part of a series Dezeen is publishing with the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS). The series highlights the 2026 shortlist for the annual award, which was established in 2002.
The building sits at 22 High Street, on the site of a 17th-century town house once owned by the Semple family. The current structure dates from 1876 and was substantially altered in the 1950s. Renfrewshire Council wanted to move its library service out of Paisley Museum and into a more visible location on the high street.
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Keeping the façade
Renfrewshire Council appointed Hub West Scotland as delivery partner, and the design team was led by Collective Architecture. Contractor CCG delivered the work. Construction started in 2018, following a 2016 feasibility study that assessed four possible sites before recommending 22 High Street.
The architects reported that retaining the façade in place offered the best value for the client’s budget, so the design proceeded on that basis.
The new frontage replaces the two-storey shop front with a grid of sculptural, bent metal fins set in front of a curtain wall glazing system. Their folded form recalls a bookmark or a sheet of paper bent into origami. The glazing is open enough that passers-by can see into the library, which the design team hopes will extend the street into the building.
Solving the hidden problems
The building was substantially modified in the 1950s and contained asbestos that had to be removed. Most of it had been stripped out, but crews found more inside wall cavities and within roof and floor build-ups. Workers removed it under controlled conditions.
The existing structure could not carry the weight of library stock. Engineers installed new steel, mostly by hand, in a sequence that allowed each piece to be lifted into place around the existing frame. According to the architects’ account, the new steel effectively doubled the amount of structure in the building.
The site was also slightly too small for the full brief, so the team added a mezzanine for toilets and a staff room. The top floor sits above 7.5 metres, which would normally require two escape stairs under Building Regulations. Instead, the team used a fire-engineered approach with smoke lobbies and smoke venting to allow a single stair.
Structural engineers tested the existing building through detailed modelling before adding steel columns, beams and foundations. For this paisley library conversion, limited archive drawings meant the team had to survey the building and carry out investigative works to understand how it had been modified over time.
Inside the paisley library conversion
An urban foyer opens from the high street and leads into a children’s library with secret rooms for play and exploration. A climbing wall and slide form part of a mini-townscape play structure. Barclay also worked on the feature wall paintings.
The first floor holds the main collection in what Imrie calls a “living room” for Paisley. Events rooms for meetings and performances also sit on this level. The second floor reading room opens onto an elevated outdoor room, and a study room gallery sits above it.
Collective Architecture also designed the bespoke fixed furniture and specified the loose furniture, so the paisley library conversion follows one design approach throughout. The library provides a community and events room, IT facilities, free Wi-Fi, PC access, and charging points in all areas.
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The council sees this paisley library conversion as part of a wider effort to use culture and heritage to draw people back to the town centre, alongside work on the museum, town hall and arts centre.
Design intent and the shortlist
Imrie said the client wanted a building that welcomed all sections of society. “Encouraging people to dwell was the most important thing and if they pick up a book and read it then that’s a bonus,” he said.
The RIAS shortlist for 2026 has three reuse projects. RIAS said the projects tap into “important conversations around community, collaboration, retrofit and reuse.” The other two are the Edinburgh Futures Institute by Bennetts Associates and the Tarlair Outdoor Pool Pavilion by Studio Octopi. The winner will be announced on 26 November. Last year’s winner was a public park renewed by Stallan-Brand and LDA Design.
The Paisley library shows what thoughtful library architecture and retrofit can achieve on a constrained high street. The true measure will be whether people stay, and whether the building keeps drawing them in long after the award season ends.
Source: dezeen.com
Frequently asked questions
Where is the Paisley library conversion located on High Street?
The library is at 22 High Street in Paisley. It sits on the site of a 17th-century town house once owned by the Semple family.
Who designed the Paisley library conversion on High Street?
Collective Architecture led the design team, and Hub West Scotland was the delivery partner for Renfrewshire Council. The contractor for the work was CCG.
Why did the Paisley library project keep its original façade?
The architects reported that retaining the façade in place offered the best value for the client’s budget. The design therefore proceeded on that basis.
Is the Paisley library conversion shortlisted for a Scottish architecture award?
Yes, it is shortlisted for the RIAS Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award. The winner will be announced on 26 November.
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