Wysing Arts Centre
Cambridgeshire
Wysing Arts Centre is a thriving rural arts centre in Bourn, Cambridgeshire providing artists studios, exhibitions and workshops for both the local and wider community.
Hawkins\Brown's scheme replaces the dilapidated existing buildings and demonstrates the centre's high ambitions for the future.
Two distinct new buildings were proposed - a reception and a studio facility. These are located adjacent to existing converted farm sheds and a grade II listed, 17th century farmhouse. The cluster of buildings created defines a number of external spaces and courtyards of varying enclosure and character. The arrangement is typical of the local vernacular and provides a template for future development.
The two-storey studio-block is sited toward the front of the site foregrounding the principle activity of the centre (artistic production) and providing a counterpoint to the adjacent farmhouse. Although there is a clear contrast in the scale and massing of the two buildings, the composition of the principal north facade to the studio block refers to the aesthetic of the farmhouse's timber frame structure. This is achieved using a modular, prefabricated gluelam cladding frame across the full facade. The frame is in-filled with full height timber windows and ventilation panels creating an additional rhythm within the composition.
"I’m just blown away by the beauty of the architecture. It’s going to
completely transform the visual arts in this area
".
Astrid Bowron, Director
OVADA Gallery, Oxford.
Client
Wysing Arts Centre
Value
£1.3m
Date
Completed January 2008
RIBA Award 2008
