The robustness of construction and generous scale offer an open invitation to artists
Ellis Woodman, Telegraph
The Bluecoat
The old foundlings school, a Georgian Grade I Listed building has been renovated and extended to provide artist studios, exhibition spaces and an auditorium for 200 people. A complicated load-bearing structure has been selected for the new construction. Brick walls are stack bonded with units aligned in a single direction. Computerised design drawings allocated every brick a location so that reinforced concrete floor plates and lintels were co-ordinated into the design without any cut bricks. Pre-stessed brickwork was used to attenuate the main gallery piers, support balustrades and parapet walls. The steel trussed roof structure was kept straightforward with clear joints consistently detailed.
The Bluecoat
The old foundlings school, a Georgian Grade I Listed building has been renovated and extended to provide artist studios, exhibition spaces and an auditorium for 200 people. A complicated load-bearing structure has been selected for the new construction. Brick walls are stack bonded with units aligned in a single direction. Computerised design drawings allocated every brick a location so that reinforced concrete floor plates and lintels were co-ordinated into the design without any cut bricks. Pre-stessed brickwork was used to attenuate the main gallery piers, support balustrades and parapet walls. The steel trussed roof structure was kept straightforward with clear joints consistently detailed.
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Location
Liverpool
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Client
The Bluecoat
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Architect
biq Architecten/Austin-Smith:Lord
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Photographer
Stefan Muller
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Awards
RIBA Award, The Wood Awards - Best Public Building