Since the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum opened in 1960, and was extended in 1964, very little capital investment has been made in its architecture. The requirement for a new Creative Industries Centre and the provision of grants from the European Regional Development Fund, Coventry City Council and Advantage West Midlands provided the perfect catalyst for this. The project is an example of what a relatively small amount of money, if spent appropriately, can do to revitalise an existing building.
Creative Industries Centre
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As the city's only art gallery the site aims to become a beacon for the creative industries, individuals and communities in the region.
The brief for the new Creative Industries Centre required that 650 square metres of additional accommodation and circulation space was provided in order to house a new arts information centre, audio visual production studios, more education facilities, a cafe, gallery and improved entrance to the building. |
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The existing lecture theatre wing had fallen into disuse because it had no wheelchair access and there was no longer any real demand for a formal lecture theatre setting. Consequently it has been converted into two levels of new media sound and video facilities, with an existing gallery space transformed into a performance venue. Known as Herbert Media, these facilities are now the best in the West Midlands region.
The new arts information centre, holding a comprehensive reference library of arts related publications and |
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seating areas for research and informal meetings, is housed in a specially designed roof top pavilion above the old lecture theatre. Complementing the vibrant roofscape of Coventry, the pavilion has been designed to have a unique sculptural roof form. Natural light enters the pavilion from north facing roof windows and recalls the quality of space found in artists' studios and the traditional industrial workshops found on the outskirts of the city. The form of the pavilion on the west facade is stepped in plan, literally reflecting the form and providing framed views of the Basil Spence cathedral opposite. |
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The existing building, a subtle example of 1950s modernism in a classical rather than fully international style, contained a large open loggia on the ground floor leading to a rather hidden entrance. This loggia and undercroft has been closed using floor to ceiling glass to create a light filled children's education area and cafe that both open out onto the re-landscaped courtyard. |
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The brief also required Haworth Tompkins to raise the profile of the entrance to the building, which was set back from the street and hidden from view. The building presented an unwelcoming and anonymous external appearance, which didn't encourage members of the public to enter and experience the art gallery and museum as a public resource and building. By opening up the existing ground floor accommodation to create a new entrance closer to the street it was possible to provide a more generous arrival space leading into the existing gallery foyer. |
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A new space linking the existing galleries to the new pavilion and Herbert Media has been built above the loggia against the existing external wall of the gallery. This gave the opportunity to improve the vertical circulation through the introduction of a new lift and stair. A new gallery was also included in this space, fronting the Ôpublic squareÕ below and with a back projection screening facility the galleryÕs glazed external wall can be used for art installations. |
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The existing buildings of the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum have distinct architectural characteristics such as being constructed entirely on a structural steel frame, extensive use of aluminium in the window systems and a main staircase fabricated from folded aluminium plate supported from a tubular aluminium trussed balustrade. Accordingly the design approach to the regeneration has been to understand and enhance this essential character, avoid unnecessary demolition of existing fabric and instead look at opportunities for infilling or addition within the overall volumetric footprint. |
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HERBERT GALLERY, COVENTRY
Client: Coventry City Council
Value Phase 1 £2,500,000
Completion: 2005
Value Phase 2 £15,000,000
Coventry City Council Accessibility Award 2006 |
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