Clearview National May 2017 - Issue 186 | Page 104
PROUD SPONSOR OF DOORS & WINDOWS
DOORS&WINDOWS
Historic art
gallery brought
into the 21st
century
» » WHEN ADDING A
modern extension to a beloved
historic building, creating a
sensitive link between the two is an
important consideration.
This was one of the challenges
that the architects working with
the Grade-II* listed Glynn Vivian
Art Gallery in Swansea needed to
address when designing a major
new extension.
The project involved adding
a new gallery, community and
education rooms, a lecture theatre
and screening room, conservation
studios and collection stores to the
existing gallery – a neoclassical brick
and stone building completed in
1909. The works also created a new
street level entrance, welcoming
visitors with a much larger and
brighter reception space.
SEPARATE BUT
CONNECTED
In creating the extension, the
designers were keen to preserve the
impressive symmetry of the original
façade, and this meant creating
a sense of physical separation
externally between the extension
and the gallery itself.
At the same time, in order to
deliver the best experience for
visitors, the two elements needed to
be well connected internally, with
people able to flow freely between
the two.
The solution was to enclose the
linking part of the extension, set
back from the buildings’ façades, in
low-profile structural glazing.
This link means that the two
elements are connected on three
levels, making the building feel
unified to visitors while also
allowing the historic façade to
be appreciated in isolation from
outside.
The glazing also extends at
ground level around the front of the
extension, allowing light to flood
into the new entrance area.
To the right-hand-side of the
historic building is a garden space,
which the gallery intends to allow
to grow into a green oasis for
the city centre. The refurbished
building features a glazed section of
wall opening onto the garden across
104 » MAY 2017 » CL EARVI E W- UK . C O M
PROJECT:
Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Swansea
CLIENT:
City and County
of Swansea Council
MAIN CONTRACTOR:
Ide Contracting
ARCHITECT:
Powell Dobson
three floors, allowing light in and
giving passers by a glimpse of some
of the artworks on display.
THE ART OF ENERGY
EFFICIENCY
In total, 70 sq. m of glazing
was used. In order to maximise
insulation of the newly created
space, and ensure high levels of
structural strength, double-glazed
units featuring one pane of 12mm
toughened glass and another of
13.5mm laminated glass were
used.
The outer pane was Pilkington
K Glass™, which features a low-
emissivity hard coating to reduce
the amount of radiated heat
lost from the building, further
enhancing the energy performance
of the space.
The frameless glazing was
supported by a series of laminated
fins created from 21.5mm-thick
glass using the Pilkington Planar™
l SentryGlas® system. These are
connected to the glazing units with
low-profile stainless steel bolts and
deliver high levels of structural
strength while maintaining the
transparency of the system,
contributing to its minimal
appearance.
Phil Savage, commercial
contracts sales manager at
Pilkington United Kingdom
Limited, said: “Structural glazing
is the ideal solution for extending
iconic and historic buildings, as
it allows new routes in and out of
them to be created with minimal
visible intervention.
“This extension is an excellent
example of this being done very
successfully, and it’s clear that the
two parts of the building, although
separated by more than 100 years
in age, really work together as a
harmonious whole.”
Jenni Spencer-Davies, curator
at the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery,
said: “The art gallery building is
one of the best-loved and most
architecturally significant in
Swansea, and it’s important that
we preserve that heritage.
“At the same time, the gallery
is also a living and breathing part
of the cultural life of the city.
The new extension enhances the
experience for visitors without
compromising the historic façade
that has been so well known to
people in Swansea for generations.
The glazed link between the
buildings plays a big part in
that.”