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It’s down to four, from RIBA Competition’s 77 entries!
Four design solutions have now been shortlisted by the judging panel for the RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) competition, which attracted 77 submissions from all over the UK, Europe and the world.
In their deliberations, the expert panel of judges took into account the views of the public and Advisory Panel, including representatives from the Friends of the Art Gallery & Museum, and others involved in, and affected by the development.
Richard Brearley, the RIBA Adviser, said: ‘The judges were very impressed at the standard of the submissions and with the consultative process which has taken place. It was a difficult task to narrow the entries down to four, but we are confident that those chosen to go forward to the next stage meet the competition brief of being unique, functional, eco-friendly and achievable.’
The four shortlisted designs were all produced by British teams:
Submission No. 7: Ramboll Whitbybird, a Manchester firm, which has branches in Birmingham and Bristol and has worked on several projects in Cheltenham and Gloucestershire;
Submission No. 14: David Grindley Architects, based in Milton Keynes, which has worked on a wide range of projects in the public and private sector;
Submission No. 51: Ellis Williams, a London-based firm of architects, with experience in culture sector projects in the UK and abroad;
Submission No. 69: Berman Guedes Stretton, an Oxford based architect with a branch in London, and has worked on a variety of projects in these cities.
Jane Lillystone, Museum & Arts Manager, said: ‘We are delighted to be able to announce the shortlist for the competition and would like to thank the Royal Institute of British Architects, the judges and everyone who has contributed to the decision-making process so far. We will be displaying the four shortlisted design solutions at the Art Gallery & Museum, around Cheltenham, and on our websites over the next few weeks, so that people can see them and make further comments. During this period, the four shortlisted teams will be answering questions arising from their submissions and preparing for detailed interviews by the judges in early December.’
12 November 2007
Last chance to have your say!
The first stage in Cheltenham Borough Council’s international RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) design competition is coming to a close.
The design solutions submitted by 77 architects, from all over the UK, Europe and the world, to provide more space and better facilities for the Art Gallery & Museum’s important collections, exhibitions, education, outreach, arts development and life-long learning work, have now been on display for three weeks. During that time, comments have been received from visitors, including Friends of the Art Gallery & Museum, and via the website, from as far away as New York and Paris.
The architects’ submissions will be on display at the Art Gallery & Museum in Clarence Street, Cheltenham, until 17 October, from 10 am to 5.20pm, as follows:
Saturday 13 October – all day (part of the ‘Big Draw’ Event)
Monday 15 October – all day
Tuesday 16 October – all day
Wednesday 17 October – all day
If you are unable to visit the Art Gallery & Museum during opening hours, you can view the submissions here.
After the consultation period closes, the judging panel will meet. Public feedback will be taken into account, along with advice from a Committee including representatives from the Art Gallery & Museum staff, Cheltenham Civic Society and other relevant bodies. At present, architects’ submissions are anonymous, but the names of the four short-listed architects will be announced at the end of October. Following rigorous interviews and final judging, the name of the chosen architect will be announced by early January 2008.
The Art Gallery & Museum is building for a new future – come and have your say!
9 October 2007
Cheltenham’s Art Gallery & Museum is Building for a New Future
A sustainable development for Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum
Cheltenham Borough Council’s international RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) design competition, launched in June, has now closed. The next stage in the search for an architect who will help transform the nationally and internationally recognised Art Gallery & Museum over the coming years, has now begun.
77 architects, from all over the UK, Europe and the world, have submitted design solutions, which will provide more space and better access to the Art Gallery & Museum’s important collections, a new gallery for temporary exhibitions and dedicated space for the Art Gallery & Museum’s extensive education, outreach, arts development and life-long learning work.
Architects’ initial submissions will be on display from 19 September to 17 October on: www.cheltenhamartgallery.org.uk/buildingforanewfuture/stage1 or via www.cheltenham.artgallery.museum and at the Art Gallery & Museum, so that people from Cheltenham, and those from further afield with an interest in the project, can see them and give feedback. Following this consultation stage, the competition entries will be reduced to a shortlist of four designs by a judging panel, which will be advised by a committee including representatives of the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE), Cheltenham Civic Society and the Friends of Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum. Under RIBA competition rules, architects’ submissions are anonymous at the first stage, with only the names of the four short listed architects being provided to the judges and made public. The shortlist will be announced in late October, following which interviews and the final judging will be completed by mid-December.
Museum & Arts Manager, Jane Lillystone, said: “We are delighted at the response to the competition and look forward to seeing the outline design solutions. The design for the new development must meet the competition technical specifications and criteria of being ‘unique, functional, eco-friendly and achievable’, capable of enhancing this area of the town and transforming the appearance and work of the Art Gallery & Museum. As the competition progresses, we are laying the groundwork for our fundraising campaign, building on funds already committed by Cheltenham Borough Council and a planned application to the Heritage Lottery Fund (early 2008).”
Councillor Diggory Seacome, Cheltenham Borough Council Cabinet member for Arts & Culture, and member of the competition judging panel said: “This is a very exciting time for the Art Gallery & Museum and the competition for the development has certainly attracted great interest locally and further afield. With the involvement and authority of RIBA in this competition we can perhaps encapsulate something modern and exciting while retaining the best of the past.”
Joanne Wallis of RIBA said: "We are delighted with the significant interest and enthusiasm this competition has generated. This is a fantastic opportunity for a design team to be involved in such an exciting scheme which is of great importance to Cheltenham and the South West region."
19 September 2007
Launch of Building for a New Future:
A sustainable development for Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum
Cheltenham Borough Council is launching an international RIBA competition, inviting proposals for the design of a new extension to the town’s Art Gallery and Museum, which is currently celebrating its centenary year.
The Art Gallery & Museum is one of Cheltenham’s key attractions; it includes a nationally-designated Arts & Crafts movement collection and carries out an extensive programme of exhibitions, Education and Outreach work, Lifelong Learning and Arts Development projects.
At present one third of the collections are on display and the Art Gallery & Museum lacks sufficient temporary exhibition space for visiting and other exhibitions; space is also needed for the growing demands of its work with young people and other groups in the town and county.
The planned extension will sit within the “footprint” of a disparate collection of buildings (mainly currently used for storage) and an adjacent semi-derelict site. The new facilities will provide larger, flexible temporary exhibition spaces; better public circulation and access within the galleries; improved storage, including greater public access to study collections and a dedicated space for outreach and other development work.
The building will be constructed and run in an environmentally-friendly and innovative way, using reclaimed materials and on-site/off-site sustainable energy sources. It will be a flagship public ‘green’ scheme for Cheltenham, enhancing one of the town’s significant conservation areas, which also includes Cheltenham’s oldest building, 13th century St Mary’s Church.
Museum & Arts Manager, Jane Lillystone, said: “We are looking for an outstanding design which is unique, functional, eco-friendly and achievable, complementing the frontage of the 1989 extension, for which Sir Hugh Casson was architectural advisor. We are delighted to be launching this competition during Architecture Week, particularly given this year’s theme of ‘How Green is Our Space?’, and look forward to receiving outstanding submissions.”
Councillor Diggory Seacome, Cheltenham Borough Council Cabinet member for Arts & Culture, said: “The work of the Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum has been stifled for a long time by lack of space. Hopefully the new development will overcome this problem and, by having a competition with ecologically sound principles at its heart, the organisers hope to address many different issues at one go. There should be more of this innovative thinking in projects of this nature.”