Sainsbury Centre
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Ken Kirkwood (website) Download Original
School of Fine Art and art centre to house a collection gifted to the University of East Anglia by Sir Robert and Lady Sainsbury
The design incorporates structural and service elements within the double-layer walls and roof. Within this shell is a free-flowing sequence of spaces that incorporates a conservatory reception area, coffee bar, exhibition areas, the Faculty of Fine Art, senior common rooms and a restaurant.
Full-height windows at either end of the structure allow the surrounding landscape to form a backdrop to the exhibition and dining areas, while aluminium louvres, linked to light sensors, line the interior to provide an infinitely flexible system for the control of natural and artificial light.
In 1988 the building was extended to provide space for the display of the reserve collection, together with curatorial and conservation facilities and a gallery for exhibitions and conferences. The new wing extends the building at basement level, exploiting the natural contours of the site forming a glazed crescent incised into the grassy bank.
In 2004, further improvements were initiated to provide additional display space, an internal link between the main and Crescent Wing galleries, improved shop, cafe and other visitor facilities, and a new education centre.
Data
- Begun: 1974
- Completed: Apr 1978
- Floor area: 7,200m2
- Sectors: Arts and culture, Education
- Total cost: £3M
- Funding: Gatsby Charitable Foundation, The Arts and Humanities Research Council, The Sainsbury Centre Endowment Fund, The University of East Anglia
- Address: University of East Anglia, Earlham Road, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom
Professional Team
- Architect: Foster + Partners
- Project architects: Birkin Haward, John Yates, Wendy Foster
- Client: Sir Robert and Lady Lisa Sainsbury, University of East Anglia
- Lighting consultant: Claude Engle
- Quantity surveyor: Hanscomb Partnership
- Consultant engineer: Anthony Hunt Associates
- Cladding consultant: Tony Pritchard
- Acoustic consultant: Sound Research Laboratories
- Drainage consultant: John Taylor and Sons
- Landscape architect: Lanning Roper
Suppliers
- Cladding panels: British Aluminium Co
- Neoprene waterproofing gasket: Leyland & Birmingham Rubber Co
- Lifts: Marryat & Scott Ltd
- Walkway system: William Sharp Ltd