DESIGN PROJECT PROFILE
(Top) the descent to the gallery below is part of the visitor’s journey; (above) A vitrine offers natural light into the gal- lery and an interesting view from above
WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES IN DESIGNING FOR SUCH A FAMOUS BUILDING?
The V&A buildings are historically signifi - cant, being Grade I and II* listed, but more than that, they’re well loved and respected the world over. So the challenge for us, as architects, is to create a design that’s a natural part of the museum’s. We wanted it to be sensitive and respect- ful, looking to the past for inspiration, but also to the future, using the latest tools and materials we have available. Its place in the history of the V&A will stretch both back- wards and forwards.
HOW DO YOU MIX MODERN ARCHITECTURE WITH HISTORICAL CHARACTER?
The V&A has always been about the very best of contemporary design and no false compromise is required between modern architecture and historical character. Our design is woven into the fabric of the V&A’s
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The folded plate ceiling spans the whole 30m-width without columns and soars over the visitor, despite being underground
heritage. We’re revealing views of architec- turally signifi cant facades, which have been hidden until now. The creation of a new public space in the form of a courtyard will radically alter perceptions of the museum and how its layout is apprehended by the visitor. Not simply an additional entry point, it has the potential to change the visitor journey through the museum – to bring them to more places and enable them to discover more of the collections. It’s the duality of tradition and progress that gives London its edge and life.
WHICH PART OF THE DESIGN ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?
There’s a paradox in-built to this project: a scheme that revolves around a vast new gallery space hidden below ground. How do you draw people in and make them aware of the exhibition space beneath their feet? The structural form and geometry
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“The creation of a new public space
has the potential to change the visitor journey through the museum”
of the gallery ceiling seeps through to the pattern of the courtyard above, making the visitor conscious of the energy and rhythm of the gallery directly below. In turn, the structural solution of the ceil-
ings generates the paving pattern of the courtyard, becoming a subtle but readable expression of what’s below. In this way we have made the invisible visible. ●
AM 3 2012 ©cybertrek 2012
PICS: ©AL_A
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