4 x M2 Gallery Pavilion

The m2 gallery is a 24-hour window gallery at the front of Quay 2c Architects’ studio in Peckham, which has been running since 2003. Quay2c had a long-standing idea to extend the scope of the m2 gallery by quadrupling it and building a 4 x m2 Gallery Pavilion. This finally came into being this summer on the Parade Ground at Chelsea College of Art and Design opposite the entry to Tate Britain. It took the form of a pavilion featuring one m2 window x 500mm deep exhibition space on each of its four sides.

The pavilion was made almost exclusively of recycled and donated materials; the main structure of second hand timber and plywood, with the external boards being made of Ecosheet, a 100% recycled plastic equivalent to plywood. The pavilion was constructed by Quay 2c with students from the MA Interior & Spatial Design course at Chelsea.

Sustainability Statement

A major idea of the 4 x m2 Gallery Pavilion was to construct sustainably. All the structural timber and plywood was sourced from a local supplier that deals exclusively in second hand building materials. This was then sold back to them at the end of the project. Other smaller bits of material were put in the Art School store and recycled by students into Artworks.

The cladding material by Ecosheet is produced as a 100% recyclable 18mm sheet as a reusable alternative to plywood. The structure was unheated and the long summer days gave free daylight. Four florescent tubes were programmed to come on for a couple of hours later in the evening to top light the galleries and provide a glowing beacon to the roof. This was made from a remnant of translucent scaffold sheeting left over from another project. All constructors came to work by bicycle or public transport.