International architects – from Copenhagen and Melbourne, were in Nottingham in mid June, to gather the next stage in the development of Nottingham’s New Contemporary Visual Arts Centre. Their design brief was to create a £13 million arts showcase planned for the edge of the Lace Market. During their visit they toured Angel Row Gallery, Bonington Gallery and Powerhouse Studio, as well as the site on Garners Hill, next to the Middle Hill tramline, and heard all about the city’s cultural ambitions. The winning practice was chosen on 9 July 2004.
Between them the architects have designed many acclaimed arts buildings, including the Guggenheim Museum in Taisung, China, National Victoria Gallery of Art in Melbourne, the Copenhagen Opera House and the Gagosian Gallery in London. Closer to home, a number of teams have worked in Nottingham before, designing the Lakeside Arts Centre at the University of Nottingham and Broadway Media Centre.
“We are delighted that so many strong candidates from around the world are interested in Nottingham,” said Councillor Jon Collins, Leader of Nottingham City Council. “It shows that our planned new Centre for Visual and Live Arts is already attracting international attention. We always intended the new centre to be a world-class architectural landmark. With such a strong field to choose from, we can be sure that we will have a wonderful new building to nurture our own talent and bring in the best national and international artists.”
The new arts centre will be a massive boost to Nottingham’s thriving arts scene. It is backed by Nottingham City Council, Nottinghamshire County Council, the Nottingham Trent University, the University of Nottingham, East Midlands Development Agency, the Greater Nottingham Partnership and the Arts Council of England. Most of the £13 million needed for the project has now been raised, following a £5 million provisional grant recently announced by the Arts Lottery Fund. Building will start in Summer 2006, with the centre opening its doors to an expected half a million visitors a year in early 2008.
The project is strongly supported by both the city’s universities. “We see the proposed new gallery as a very high strategic priority for the region,” said Sir Colin Campbell, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nottingham. “The University plays a leading role in the cultural life of the city and the region through its nationally acclaimed Lakeside Arts Centre. This is a natural step forwards that will significantly improve arts provision.”
Neil Gorman, the Vice-Chancellor of The Nottingham Trent University, said: “This contemporary art space will open many opportunities for our under-graduates, graduates and doctoral students by providing invaluable educational resources, career opportunities and enhancing the cultural industries already established in the city. Over 150 years a wealth of talent has emerged from our School of Art and Design. The new Centre will help to employ it in the city.”
The Centre for Visual and Live Arts, which will replace Angel Row Gallery,
Bonington Gallery and Powerhouse Studio will create more than 200 jobs in
total. However, it will also promote the prosperity of Greater Nottingham.
Recent research conducted on the Government’s behalf for the Core Cities
–
England’s eight most important provincial cities, including Nottingham
– showed that keeping and attracting creative people is a key element
of economic success.
“I have no doubt that the new centre will have a knock-on effect in terms of the whole economy of the conurbation,” said Martin Gawith, Executive Director of the Greater Nottingham Partnership. ”The Government’s research clearly shows that the most successful cities are those that value and nurture creative people. These are the people who share new ideas and pioneer new ways of working. The new centre will create an arena where our own artists can generate new work and share space with the stars of the art world. It is bound to enhance Nottingham’s reputation, both nationally and internationally. That will help attract new companies and organisations to the area, as well as boosting tourism.”
The Centre for Visual and Live Arts is dedicated to attracting local people to arts events, and it will have strong links to education and to local communities. Research carried out by the Arts Council of England shows that the number of people regularly experiencing the arts has grown nationally by 800,000 since 2001. Over 15 million people in England have been to at least two arts events in the last year.
“This massive increase shows that interest in the arts is growing enormously,” said Peter Knott, Director of Arts and Development at Arts Council England, East Midlands. “There is already a very healthy community of artists and a strong audience in Nottingham. The new centre is very timely and will meet a growing demand for exhibitions and events.”
The Centre for Visual and Live Arts will contribute to Nottingham’s ambitions to become one of the UK’s most dynamic cities.
Based on a press release/Alan Dillon
Editor’s note: Here are the brief career biographies of the short listed architects (from around 67 applicants) for Nottingham’s Centre For Visual And Live Arts. This gives some idea of the quality of the entries.
Burrell Foley Fischer are a medium sized London practice of architects with a superb track record in cultural buildings, particularly dance and performance spaces and cinemas, including the Almeida Theatre, Harbour Lights cinema in Southampton and the award winning Frensham Heights School in Surrey. In Nottingham they are best known for their long association with Broadway Media Centre.
Caruso St John Architects are one of the country's most successful designers of galleries and museums. Their stunning Walsall New Art Gallery, new Gagosian Galleries in London, Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood and award winning commissions around the world have made them one of Britain's best known young practices.
Henning Larsens Tegnestue is an international practice based in Copenhagen, where their major new national opera house has won numerous international awards. The practice has worked all over Europe, creating beautiful buildings for the arts and museums in Finland, Germany and in Britain.
Lab Architecture Studio is based in Melbourne, Australia, where their distinctive design for the major new National Gallery of Victoria has received worldwide attention. The practice now works around the world, notably with their forthcoming major commission for Beijing in China.
Marsh & Grochowski are based in Nottingham and their buildings are well known in the city and region, including the award winning Lakeside Pavilion at Nottingham University. The company has a long involvement with the arts and a particular commitment to the creation of humane buildings that combine this commitment with a particular interest in environmentally friendly buildings.
Walters & Cohen are a small to medium sized London based practice led by two women architects, Cindy Walters & Michal Cohen. The practice is rapidly building a reputation for beautifully detailed work of the highest quality. Their art gallery in Natal, South Africa, and work in many other parts of the world, reflects the very international nature of the office and team.
Zaha Hadid is one of the world's leading architects. In recent years the practice has produced a series of stunning visual art galleries, including the Rosenthal Centre in Cincinnati and the Rome Contemporary Art Centre, which is currently being built. The stature of the practice is such that every scheme with which they are associated meets with international attention and critical acclaim.
Ken Brand
January 2005
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