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Architecture Gallery
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Architecture Gallery
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Architecture Gallery
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Architecture Gallery
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Architecture Gallery
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Architecture Gallery
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Architecture Gallery , Victoria and Albert Museum
Gareth Hoskins Architects Ltd. London, United Kingdom
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Name of work in English
Architecture Gallery , Victoria and Albert Museum
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Name of work in original language
Architecture Gallery , Victoria and Albert Museum
Prize year
EUmies Awards 2005
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Work Location
London, United Kingdom
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Studio
Gareth Hoskins Architects Ltd
EUmies Awards 2005 Nominees
The aim was to design an engaging and exciting gallery for exploring architecture and the built environment through the joint architectural collections of the V&A and RIBA.
Collaborators
Others: Gareth Williams Victoria & Albert Museum (Curator); Design: Michael Snodin Victoria & Albert Museum (Senior Curator); Others: Charles Hind Royal Institute of British Architects (Head of Special Collections), Eleanor Gawne; Project management: Paul Leng Lend Lease (Project Manager); Lighting: Jonathan Speirs Speirs & Major Associates Ltd (Lighting Consulant); Engineering: Paul Byrne Dewhurst MacFarlane & Partners; Others: Michael Poulter The Quoin Consultancy (Planning Supervisors), Mike Copp Benbow Interiors
Program
Culture
Completion
2004
Through a series of workshops the architect and the curators worked closely together to develop the content and organisation for the different areas of the gallery. Careful consideration was given to the scope of the exhibits within each section and how they might be displayed to best illustrate and convey a specific message or theme.
The existing galleries, which previously housed the ceramics collection, together with the adjacent slip store, were refurbished and reworked. The freestanding and builtin timber and glass display cases were removed to create a clear gallery space for the installation of the new gallery elements for the joint architecture collection. With the exception of a limited amount of work to the existing walls to open up and connect between the main gallery and slip store, the intention was to touch the existing building fabric as lightly as possible. Generally, the new installations were conceived of as freestanding elements requiring minimal fixing to the existing fabric, other than for restraint and the provision of services connections. The lighting scheme for the new gallery highlights this contrast between the new elements and the existing space, making the fabric of the Grade 1 listed Aston Webb building an exhibit itself within the gallery.
The new gallery elements are designed as a series of elegant new structures that sit within the existing gallery space to create a clearly understandable and dramatic new space. The gallery is conceived of as a "street" that leads visitors through its length, presenting opportunities to explore different themes on architecture throughout.