Wakefield, West Yorkshire, UK

Designer while at David Chipperfield Architects

Completed 2011 (Competition win 2003)

5,200m2 (56,000sqft) GFA

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Built on the banks of the River Calder in an old, but historical industrial site, the Hepworth Wakefield is named after the late English artist Barbara Hepworth, who was born in Wakefield in 1903. It is a purpose-built art gallery, located in the historic waterfront area based on a series of diverse irregular cubes orientated to ensure that the artworks benefited from the best light and position.

The interiors, similar to the architecture, are simple and clean allowing the visitor to focus on the Hepworth pieces rather than the architectural materiality. Each single volume responds to each piece displayed and is therefore unique in size and shape.

The programme is split horizontally between the ground and first floors, the latter exclusively used for exhibition space. The ground floor contains the reception, shop, cafeteria, auditorium and learning studios, as well as offices and back-of-house areas including the archive, storage and a loading bay. The cafeteria has a generous terrace space near the main reception area and all public areas enjoy views out of the building.

While i was involved with competition submission, the developed design and construction occurred after I left DCA.