Pippy Houldsworth Gallery in London, UK by Simon Dance Design

Article source: Simon Dance Design

Simon Dance Design has completed a new contemporary exhibition space in central London. The Pippy Houldsworth Gallery opened to the public on 12 October 2011 to coincide with the Frieze Art Fair. The space will be programmed for exhibitions, seminars and events. The venue provides a showcase for a number of the most important national and international contemporary artists. The inaugural exhibition Continuum brings together seven seminal paintings by Clem Crosby.

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• Architects & Designers: Simon Dance Design
• Name of Project: Pippy Houldsworth Gallery
• Location: London, UK
• Quantity Surveyor: Jackson Coles
• Lighting Design: DPA Lighting Design
• Contractors: The Thornton Partnership

Pippy Houldsworth chose to work with an innovative architecture and design studio that would reflect her program for the gallery. The client was drawn to the discreet vision for the space by Simon Dance Design. Feasibility study work began in August 2011. The brief for Simon Dance Design was to create a quiet backdrop for the viewing of works of art. The space also houses office space and art storage for the gallery.

Interior View

The existing 180 sq m first floor is located on Heddon Street between Oxford Circus and Piccadilly Circus in Mayfair. The gallery consists of the main exhibition and micro project spaces which are open to the general public by appointment only. The rest of the floor is dedicated to private viewing spaces, art storage and offices. Pippy Houldsworth Gallery wanted to have an artist’s project space within the gallery to affirm their mission to work closely with a number of major international artists. Simon Dance Design conceived the idea of a separate micro project space with a floating white illuminated box set within a black vertical opening and invisibly lit from within. This will bring a unique space and new focus for the arts in London.

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The overall design was approached by Simon Dance Design in three principal ways:

1. Reconfiguration
The designers carried out a refurbishment project that created purer environments, whilst also revealing the history of the space. These work together and are an ideal platform for exhibiting contemporary art.

2. Specific Interventions
The ground floor entrance is situated at the south of the building. It leads into a public stair and onto the first floor where you enter through a confined vertical space into the exhibition room. On the wall adjacent to the exterior is a matt black vertical incision into the white volume which contains the micro project space. At the other end of the volume is a display unit. This cantilevers into the lobby and contains artists’ monographs, visitors’ book, press releases and packs. Beyond is the main exhibition space. The private viewing spaces, art storage and offices are in a further lower space reached by stairs.

3. Technical Features
One of the challenges in resolving the brief was incorporating all of the elements necessary for an exhibition space such as lighting, power, data, heating and cooling. In this sense the project has been an exercise in discretion and concealment.

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Section Perspective

Plan

Tags: London, UK

Category: Gallery

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