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| The Ground Floor Layout. |
Visual Analysis of the Saatchi Gallery:
When visiting the Saatchi Gallery, I was instantly struck by
the simplistic yet classy layout of the gallery. When walking up to the
gallery, you walk alongside the ‘Mess’ –Restaurant.
Further along is the main entrance to
the Duke of York building. The huge pillars emphasise the importance of the
building and how much space it holds. The architect Allford Hall Monaghan Morris subtly exploits the
dignity of the original architecture. They add over 70,000 square feet of new
gallery spaces. Each floor has great height and each floor has been created
with a new circulation system and a range of additional facilities. The
original Duke of York’s school, was first built in 1801 and was leased by
Charles Saatchi for 25 years from the owners- Cadogan Estates. The initial work
by Cadogan Estate’s architect – Paul Davis created a great base for the
architects of the Gallery to work with.
One of
their main ideas was to create a new extension which currently is attached to
the back of the original building. It links on with the new circulation cores
and provides access to three additional galleries. The structure of the extension
was designed with Arup (Engineering company), they omitted the second floor,
which consequently created double height space in the gallery. They also added
a large art lift, making it easier to install collection pieces to exhibit etc.
This lift serves in both parts of the building. The gallery changes their
exhibition up to three sometimes four times a year, so this lift is incredibly
useful. When looking around the gallery, it is not immediately obvious which parts
of the gallery are modern as the interior is all painted white. It is only when
you use the stairs that you can see the outside of the old building when you
are still inside. The architects aren’t hiding the fact they have extended the
gallery, instead they have created a modern look to the gallery by using glass
for walls in the staircase.
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| The First Floor Layout. |
There
is absolutely no detail on the walls as everywhere is painted white. This
colour articulates spaces with circulation and the floors of grey tiles are
made distinctive. The colour enhances the lighting in the gallery and the
lights installed are cleverly designed to not be noticed. This refreshing
design is repeated everywhere in the gallery and is a compliment to the
contemporary work on display which needs no distractions. “The Gallery Interiors are
contemporary, simple and very well proportioned with high ceilings that
contrast beautifully with the building’s heritage exterior”. This quote
taken from the Saatchi Gallery website defines the interior exactly. The
ambience inside the gallery is constantly set to relax people; there is a definite
sense of respect and fluidity within everyone visiting. Although the gallery is
one of the largest museums in the world, one would feel it is possible to cover
all the rooms without being disappointed by its architecture. The Floor plan
images give an insight to how equally the space has been divided and how the
layout is basic but very effective. This art gallery “has already established itself as a significant new venue in the
cultural landscape of the capital”. This statement understands the
modernisation of architecture now being produced, but how the building also
respects its heritage still by not demolishing it.
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| The Second Floor Layout. |