CHELTENHAM ART GALLERY
AND CITY MUSEUM

Client… Concurso Internacional City of
Cheltenham RIBA
Location… Cheltenham, UK
Area… 2,200 m² / 23,680 sq ft
Date… 2007
Autor… Adriana Monroy / Paul Cremoux /
Irma Luz Soler

Our design emerges from a functional and simple vision, in which the requested areas are fully observed. On a urban scale, the building acts as a public passage that connects Clarence Street and Chester Walk, so the visitor can reach the park through a new walkable, cultural street. The main façade skin is made up of photovoltaic glass; it is arranged in a series of triangular panels disposed in diverse angles transforming a flat façade into a bigger one. The larger surface enables the storage of more solar radiation and the building is able to generate itself part of electrical energy it needs. This light weighted façade also reflects the context of the street merging the new architecture with the existing buildings.
The building is pictured as a public plaza that attracts visitors. The main galleries and support rooms are connected through a vertical circulation element. Some areas belonging to adjacent constructions will be modified and on the roof, coffee bean plants will be grown to supply the coffee sold at the entrance plaza. The idea is to create a cultural space as a generous contribution, not of consumption but of preservation. We want the Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum to be timeless and a work of art in itself.