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London
Rick Mather Architects
Photography © Richard
Bryant/ARCAID
Architecture speaks quietly at
Dulwich Picture Gallery
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"The
visitor amenities provided in the addition are
housed in the most elegant and useful of modern
buildings."
—Kate Knowles, head
of press and marketing
"The
architect was in touch with the core values of
his craft. He knew the Soane building was a near
perfect gem, and the solution was not more architecture."
—Terence Riley
Architect
Rick Mather Architects
Client
Dulwich Picture Gallery
Key Players
Click here to find a complete listing of the people
and products involved in the completion of
this project and an additional photograph.
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It is a trick that few architects know—how
to insert into existing buildings modern additions that do
not overstate the purpose they serve. Founded in 1811, the
Dulwich Picture Gallery, England's oldest built-for-art gallery
and a masterpiece of architecture, needed such treatment.
Rick Mathers Architect succeeds in getting out of the way
to allow this historic gem, designed by one of England's most
famous architects, Sir John Soane, to speak its mind. Damaged
in World War II, the building needed a complete systems and
technical overhaul. The new addition offers the necessary
visitor amenities, including a 60-person café and a
multipurpose room for education, while respecting the original
setting of the gallery. The complex forms a cloister that
defines a formal quadrangle facing a garden, which the café
opens out to and which serves as a link to the main gallery.
Although there is little visual evidence
of change, the existing gallery has been entirely refurbished
with modern computer-controlled variable daylighting through
the roof lights, new lighting to replace the fluorescent fixtures,
and concealed black-out blinds. This has brought the lighting
control for the displayed pictures within modern conservation
standards.
"Doubling attendance and creating
an income stream that supports the museum, as well as involving
the local community in programs that occur at the museum,
are noteworthy signs of success," says juror Robert Walston.
For more on this project please see the
October 2001 issue of Architectural Record.
The Winners: Chesapeake
Bay | Corning
Museum | Dulwich
Galllery | Kuhonji
Temple Gate | LVMH
Tower | Pedestrian
Bridge | Phillips
Plastics | Saitama
Arena | SAP Headquarters
| Chiller Plant
| Wieden + Kennedy
Headquarters
The Finalists:
Allegheny
Jail | Hansen
Construction | Helmut
Lang Perfumerie | Herman
Miller Showroom | Lincoln
St. Garage | TBWA/Chiat/Day
| U.S. Courthouse
| Westpac Stadium
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