the design brief
Issues to be addressed by the new building:
- Temporary Exhibition Space
- Inadequate temporary exhibition space – as we aspire to be a major venue for touring shows
- Quality Building with Distinctive Front Elevation
- Current arrangement of buildings lack street presence, giving little indication as to the actual extent of the Art Gallery & Museum
- Education & Outreach
- Inadequate space for dedicated education and outreach facilities
- Community Gallery
- Lack of space to display community exhibitions / arts development projects
- Storage & Study Collection
- Limited storage space, and lack of accessibility to study collections / open storage
- Picture Gallery
- The ‘Art Gallery & Museum’ has no dedicated picture gallery space for its considerable collection of paintings and works on paper
- Accessibility
- Inadequate facilities for disabled visitors – with poor access to the main galleries on the second floor, and winding, ambiguous circulation routes around the galleries
- Existing Galleries
- Second floor galleries have confusing layout and require updating
- Ancillary Facilities
- Inadequate facilities for the shop and café
- Offices
- Fragmented staff offices and administration facilities
Aspirations for the new building:
Eco-friendly design and construction from quality natural and reclaimed materials, together with a combination of on-site and off-site sustainable energy sources
A temporary exhibitions gallery of a minimum of 300 square metres and 3.5 – 4 metres clear hanging space, for touring shows from national and international touring organisations (for example, the V&A, British Museum and National Portrait Gallery)
More effective, flexible education and outreach facilities, including an activity room and open access to the Museum’s Take-Away service
Improved, centralised storage facilities, including open access to archives, a study room and visible storage / display areas
A café on the ground floor - visible from the street and spilling onto an enhanced space within Clarence Street
A dedicated picture galley space
An enlarged shop – adjacent to a ground floor café, including new toilet facilities
An artist-in-residence studio and / or artists’ studios
A new lift – located within the main entrance lobby, giving onto a series of fully accessible public floors / levels – to address the requirements of DDA
To provide front-to-back access for the public from the current Art Gallery & Museum entrance on Clarence Street, through to Chester Walk.
Competitors also need to consider:
The relocation of the workshop facilities (technical and conservation) which support the exhibitions and galleries. These are currently situated in No. 51, and the extension adjoining the back – and must be retained on site, ideally, the technical workshop requires a ground floor level for access
Providing an environment for the exhibition / display galleries, stores and open access stores where temperature and humidity can be controlled to a high level – including daylight exclusion and controllable lighting
Exhibition galleries / display areas need provision for alarming / securing / shuttering – with reference to security category 1 status (as stipulated by UK Museums Security Adviser)
Direct loading access from the street – either at the front or the back of the building, to facilitate delivery of large-scale exhibitions / display objects and equipment
Exhibition preparation area and storage space – with access to the temporary exhibitions gallery and the same climate controls
Centralising staff offices and administration on to one floor – benefiting the overall efficiency of the Art Gallery & Museum
The proposals (as part of Cheltenham’s Civic Pride Agenda and not part of this brief) for the widening of the south-facing pavement (on Clarence Street), which could facilitate a pavement café, public seating and street performance area. However, it would be anticipated that the existing front building line would be retained
The proposals for retaining No.51 (excluding the back extension) exclusively for artists’ studios as a separate working project / building (which would not form part of this brief)
It should also be noted:
That a previous unimplemented scheme for extending the Art Gallery & Museum, proposed the demolition of No’s 53 and 55, Clarence Street and the Cottages on Chester Walk. Demolition of buildings in the conservation area relies on the replacement building being of a high quality design
That there are long-term proposals for the Library to return fully to Cheltenham Borough Council, and become part of the Art Gallery & Museum. Therefore, there should be an acknowledgment to configure the ground floor layout in such a way, as to facilitate the incorporation of the Library area into the Art Gallery & Museum - at a possible later stage.