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摘要

Brighton is a city of contrasts, from the tight pedestrian alleys of the Lanes to grand stuccoed houses and hotels. The North Laines, where Bennetts Associates has just completed the Jubilee Library, is an in-between sort of area. It is a little way inland, in narrow streets, one much like another, and the small brick buildings are on the run-down side. Though the site is opposite the Dome theatre, even that tends to merge into the street wall rather than being a local landmark. The locale was ripe for redevelopment with the library as its main focus; the site was substantially cleared 20 years ago for an ice rink that was never built. Brighton and Hove City Council (BHCC) wanted to create a clearer urban structure and to develop the area as a cultural quarter: in addition to the Dome, the Theatre Royal and the Royal Pavilion are also nearby.