© Hélène Binet . Pubblicata il 29 Settembre 2009.

Terry Pawson Architects’ VISUAL & the George Bernard Shaw Theatre provides Ireland with a significant new arts space to showcase contemporary visual arts and theatre of national and international importance.

© Hélène Binet . Pubblicata il 29 Settembre 2009.

Unique to Ireland, the new building features an expansive gallery space with a ceiling height of 12m to accommodate large-scale sculpture and installation, the scale of which has not been easily accommodated in Ireland to date.

© Terry Pawson Architects . Pubblicata il 29 Settembre 2009.

Terry Pawson Architects won an open Royal Institute of Architects Ireland (RIAI) architectural competition for the contemporarry arts centre in 2004. The 3,726 sqm 3-storey building occupies a much larger footprint than the original competition proposal, a strategy which was made possible by the council’s approval to remove a neighbouring ruined stone wall. The larger site affords sufficient space for the two characters of the centre – the gallery and theatre – to be expressed and unified within one coherent form.

© Hélène Binet . Pubblicata il 29 Settembre 2009.

The building presents itself as an assembly of different sized volumes clad in opaque glass raised on a concrete plinth, with the largest gallery at its centre and smaller galleries and theatre spiralling around it.

© Hélène Binet . Pubblicata il 29 Settembre 2009.

The muteness of the opaque glass harmonises with the neutral grey of the town’s local limestone. The glass provides a blank canvas to absorb natural light in the day and project more dynamic low-level lighting at night. During the day natural light filters into the main galleries creating a calm introspective environment conducive to the production and appreciation of visual art. At night the façade is illuminated, projecting a more exuberant glowing presence for the theatre and performance space.

CREDITS

Commissioning Client: Carlow County Council
Project Funding: Carlow County Council, Department of Arts Sport & Tourism
Structural Engineer: Arup, Dublin
Services Engineer: Arup, Dublin
Theatre Consultant: Theatre Project Consultants, London
Acoustician: Acoustic Dimensions, Coventry
Gallery Consultant: Bruce McAllister, Bembridge
Contractor: BAM (formerly Rohcon), Kill