Newport Street Gallery (Building Design, Renovation and Construction)
- Submitting institution
-
London Metropolitan University
- Unit of assessment
- 32 - Art and Design: History, Practice and Theory
- Output identifier
- 46.32
- Type
- L - Artefact
- Location
- Newport Street, London, UK
- Open access status
- -
- Month of production
- -
- Year of production
- 2016
- URL
-
https://issuu.com/arts_londonmet/docs/newport_street_gallery_-_portfolio_draft_03
- Supplementary information
-
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- Request cross-referral to
- -
- Output has been delayed by COVID-19
- No
- COVID-19 affected output statement
- -
- Forensic science
- No
- Criminology
- No
- Interdisciplinary
- No
- Number of additional authors
-
-
- Research group(s)
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4 - The Centre for Urban and Built Ecologies (CUBE)
- Proposed double-weighted
- No
- Reserve for an output with double weighting
- No
- Additional information
- Commissioned by Damien Hirst, this project called for the design of a large, private gallery in South London to exhibit the artist’s personal collection. Ranged alongside a railway viaduct, the design entailed the renovation of listed industrial buildings (formerly used for scenery storage) as well as construction of new buildings.
The project aims to address the following;
- The technical and atmospheric requirements of spaces for the display of contemporary art;
- The balance between continuity and authenticity when making a large building out of new and old construction, in a manner that both preserves and extends the character of existing fabric.
- The complexity of new masonry construction when integrated into existing structures, giving rise to a new architectonic character;
- The contribution of practice-led debates to aesthetic and civic understanding of cultural buildings, reflecting upon their public purpose, context and programme.
Two inter-related concerns steered the research: 1) how technical challenges in design provide for conditions associated with atmospheric qualities in architecture. Explored in both the design work and writings of the practice, atmosphere acquires special significance in the Newport Street Gallery; 2) how the project sheds new light on the way architecture creates laconic settings for the “chaotic-manifold of things” characteristic of much contemporary art.
The gallery spaces provide exemplary settings for experiencing contemporary art, especially large-scale installations, sculpture and paintings. Since opening, it has successfully hosted up to four single artist or thematic shows a year.
Built on the practice’s quarter century of design research for museums/galleries, the project demonstrates how appropriate design strategies for the exhibition of artwork can transform a neglected part of London into a vibrant cultural quarter with distinctive architectural and civic qualities.
- Author contribution statement
- -
- Non-English
- No
- English abstract
- -