030 PROJECT 1 PROJECT INFO
Project size 1,500 sq m
Duration August 2017 – December 2021
Budget
Confidential Client
The Courtauld Gallery
Exhibition design and bespoke showcases Nissen Richards Studio
nissenrichardsstudio.com
Signage and wayfinding Nissen Richards Studio
Base-build architects Witherford Watson Mann
Lighting design Studio ZNA
Clockwise from top left Nissen Richards Studio’s signage and wayfinding, concealed storage based at the new reception desk, view down the main staircase
Below Art illuminated by Studio ZNA’s lighting
of spaces and the way visitors experience and flow through them. Computer modelling was used to map visitor flow forensically, from street level into the entrance hall and then through the 13 individual gallery spaces. ‘This is at the centre of what we do – creating an overall background that gives an atmosphere, which has an emotional impact for the visitor,’ says Nissen, when I ask her about meeting the contemporary needs of people within an old building. ‘This was very much part of the brief and relates to a lot of visitor testing in the original Courtauld spaces. The feedback was that people liked the personality and intimacy of the original building. It didn’t feel like an anonymous contemporary building.’
The result is a palette of materials that is both contemporary and historic. Looking around you will see metals, timber and paint finishes all in a series of tones to complement the pre-existing space.
‘Our aim was to clear the spaces of visual clutter and create a very natural and coherent feel with light and materials leading the visitor through the spaces. Working on the wayfinding enabled us to choose materials and configurations that worked very closely with the rest of the interpretation, so that they were all pulling in the same direction visually; a consistent and subtle language,’ says Nissen.
The design of the new arrival area includes a new matt Corian reception desk with concealed storage and a stepped design. A new display wall to the right of reception for exhibition catalogues uses lipped-detail timber. A queue divider furniture element on casters breaks up the space and is a subtle way to help direct arriving visitors. A feature floating light above is one of several major new feature lights in the scheme, deliberately contrasting with the minimal track lighting in the galleries. Other new bespoke furniture includes benches throughout the galleries and at key rest points, such as by the lifts. The benches are in oak, specially matched to the gallery’s floorboards, with a butterfly profile and wide, generous feel. The metal frames supporting
the benches make them heavy enough to be stable, while light enough to allow for repositioning.
Bespoke showcases were developed throughout by Nissen Richards Studio and manufactured by Florea
d.sign, with a ‘family’ of cases for each gallery, made up of plinths in cool white Corian, on non-reflective glass cases and shelves, depending on the art being displayed.
Signage uses Canson paper, which has a long association with the world of art, and is slotted into patinated brass holders. The new wayfinding is made from Corian, which combines craft and technology to give the right finish. Nissen says it’s one of her favourite features of the scheme with the practice working closely with Factory Settings and Corian on numerous tests and prototypes. ‘We were able to create a new process for us, that was both artisan and felt crafted, which feels appropriate for The Courtauld,’ she says. ‘We etched using state-of-the-art laser-cutting techniques, but worked with a French polishing bar that was melted and worked into the etching… [it] took several goes to get [it] just right; but then once they were right this could be rolled out. The beauty too is that they can be touched up on-site, so the natural wear and tear over the years can just be filled and repaired. I am really proud of this work, as we
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