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The Whitechapel project
Design project outline
Project description
Extension of the Whitechapel Art gallery by converting the Passmore
Edwards Library
Project objectives
Provision of additional exhibition floor space, archive room and
restoration of both listed buildings
Concept
Connection of two buildings that differ architecturally with the least
changes to the buildings fabric
Style
Preservation of the existing style with concerned alterations
Historic building
More than one
Conservation Area
Whitechapel High Street
Owneship
London Borough of Tower Hamlets, Transport for London and London
Underground Ltd
Project time
Three years
TEAM
CLIENT
The Trustees of the Whitechapel Art gallery
PROJECT MANAGER
Osprey Mott Macdonald, London
DESIGN TEAM
ARCHITECT
Robbrecht & Daem Architecten, Gent, Belgium
CO-ARCHITECT
Witherford Watson Mann Architects, London
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER
Price & Myers, London
SERVICE MANAGER
Max Fordham & Partners, Cambridge
CONSERVATION ARCHITECT
Richard Griffiths Architects, London
QUANTIY SURVEYOR
Davis Langdon, London
CONSULTANTS
BUILDING CONTROL CONSULTANT
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Building Control, London
ACCESS CONSULTANT
David Bonnett Associates, London
RIGHTS OF LIGHT CONSULTANT
Shatunowski, London
PLANNING SUOERVISOR
Dearle & Henderson, London
Location of the project
Location of the Passmore Edwards
Library and Whitechapel Gallery,
respectively 77 and 80-82 Whitechapel
High Street.
The Gallery is listed as grade II*, and
the library as grade II and are part of
the Whitechapel High Street
Conservation Area. According to Tower
Hamlets First Deposit Draft of 2004,
they are located within an Area of
archeological importance or Potential.
Site location within central London
Location Map and local transportation
Site plan
Passmore Edwards library
Whitechapel Art Gallery
Passmore Edwards Library
Whitechapel Art Gallery
Aerial photograph identifying the two
buildings and the architectural typology
of the site
The Gallery and library
are two of the many
public and cultural
buildings of the East End.
They were founded to
contribute to the
education and cultivation
of the residents of the
area. They have offered
free cultural provision for
generations of East End
people.
Contemporary art organizations
Restaurants bars cafes
Cultural organizations
Map of east London showing the density of
cultural and artistic organisations
Constraints
• In order to avoid the accumulation of unexercised planning permissions the
development of the project should begin before the expiration of three years
• Building and engineering operations should take place only between 08:00 to 18:00
Monday to Friday and 08:00 to 13:00 Saturdays and not at any time on Sundays or
public holidays to keep the amenity of the area safe.
• The appropriate noise levels is 10db below the existing background noise levels.
• To succeed the best external appearance all external changes of the building or
finishes should match with the existing original work, and always in respect of
materials used.
• The gates of the building should not affect in any way the surrounding streets and
protect the pubic safety.
• Detailed drawings of the roof above the stairwell in the library are required as soon
as possible to allow get the permission for the work to begin.
The buildings of the Whitechapel Art Gallery and
Passmore Edwards Library
The Gallery
The library
In appearance the two buildings seem to have little in common. The library is made of red bricks,
terracotta in a baroque style, while the gallery is an art Noveau building is white and colder. To confirm
their unique interaction, the gallery entrance could easily have been the perfect entrance of an
underground station, even though, ironically, the entrance of Aldgate East was built through the library
instead.
The buildings of the Whitechapel Art Gallery and
Passmore Edwards Library
Despite the differences in
appearance the buildings present
interesting similarities. The
gallery’s exhibition space is a
colonnaded area with both side
bays glazed over. Passing the
foyer in the formal library, there is
an ex-reading room, which
contains the same four columns.
This could suggest a connection
between space and function of the
buildings even in the past.
Similarities in space do not include
those in the atmosphere, which
have always been different.
Original plans of the two buildings
The buildings of the Whitechapel Art Gallery and
Passmore Edwards Library
Street view 1910
Street view 2005
Precedents
Alterations to the buildings since construction
The Gallery
External alterations:
• Facade unfinished
• Insertion of windows into the blank panel planned for the mosaic
• Acid streaking across the terracotta
Internal alterations:
• Air-conditioning introduced to the upper and lower galleries
• Replacement of the old staircases with new stairs in white terrazza
The Library
External alterations:
• 1930: construction of Aldgate East station
• Removal of the left upper part of the dormer and of the terracotta cartouche at the roof level
• Dormer gable truncated
• Replacement of the central tower and the attic roof
Internal alterations:
• Introduction of open access lending in the ground floor library
• Insertion of mezzanines
• Addition of a public stair to the front basement
Precedents
Alterations to the buildings since construction
Turrets not
executed
Mosaic freeze
Not executed
Dormer
Cable
truncated
Tower roof
replaced
Terraco a
cartouche
removed
Terraco a
Panel
removed
Flagpole a
Later addi on
Leaded
glass
removed
Underground
Entrance inserted
Relevant planning history
1930’s
The London Underground used part of
the western frontage of the Library for
access to Algate East Station
2005
Proposal for
the expansion
of the Gallery
1983
Listed Building Consent and Planning
permission granted for the
demolitionof 84a Whitechapel High
Street, extensions and internal
alterations to whitechapel art gallery
1997
Listed building
consent grated for
internal refurbishment
plus erection of new
railings and gates 2m
high along site
boundary
Purposes, Main audiences, Community benefits
The general aim of the project is to meet the Whitechapel Art
Gallery’s main needs by expanding their exhibition and education
spaces.
Every proposal aims to be as compatible as possible with the
fabric of the building. Through the transformation of spaces, the
objective is to benefit the community, in the sense that spaces will
serve educational requests. From the implementation of public events
to the development of community schools and family programs. The
new spaces, like the expanded archive, for instance, provide concrete
potentials for researchers in the field of arts education, cultural studies
and museum studies.
Moreover, the Whitechapel educational program is addressed to
the spread of life-long learning to any kind of audience through
discussions, workshops and events.
Last but not least, in order to increase the spread of culture and
arts, the access to the gallery’s exhibitions is guaranteed for free.
New spaces requirements
Galleries
Increase of 60%
From 394 m2
Crea on of two high quality
exhibi on spaces
Ground floor: gallery for
commissions related
to the history of the area
First floor: climate controlled
gallery
Circula on
Archive
Educa on
Independent access
to each room
Exhibi on space for
the Whitechapel Art
Gallery’s archive
157 m2
New educa on rooms
15-30 people
increase of 30%
from 303 m2
New cafe
Built in the increased street
front age 37m2
Limi ng
factors
Impact on the fabric
of the building need to
be considered
But some changes are
unavoidable
a. Crea on of unified
circula on for the
gallery and library
b. Compliance with building
regula ons, means of escape
requirements
c. To adapt spaces
for gallery
Building Thermal Performances
Aims:
•Improve thermal performance of the building adopting a respectful approach to preserving
the historic fabric
•Meet the required standard of the Building Regulation Approved Document Part L2
(Conservation of Fuel and Power in Building Other than Dwellings)
•Good insulation levels of the new fabric to limit heat loss and limiting solar hear gain
•Careful detailing to ensure good sealing and prevent cold air infiltrating
Ventilation
• Mechanical ventilation: will be kept to a minimum and will be used only where absolutely
necessary
• Natural ventilation: opening windows and roof lights will be manually operated and
should incorporate security facilities.
Aims:
•to avoid mechanical ventilation
•to increase environmental quality
•reduce energy use.
Daylight/Solar Control
•Reasonable amount of glazing windows to reduce the need for artificial lighting in
the required areas:
-Café
-Education spaces
-Workshop Studios
-Offices
-Circulation spaces
The Whitechapel project
Local consultation
Project description
Extension of the Whitechapel Art gallery by converting the Passmore
Edwards Library
Project objectives
Provision of additional exhibition floor space, archive room and
restoration of both listed buildings
Concept
Connection of two buildings that differ architecturally with the least
changes to the buildings fabric
Style
Preservation of the existing style with concerned alterations
Historic building
More than one
Conservation Area
Whitechapel High Street
Owneship
London Borough of Tower Hamlets, Transport for London and London
Underground Ltd
Project time
Three years
Ambitions for the project
The project will transform the the former library building next to the Gallery, increasing
gallery space 78%.
New collections and commissions are planed to be presented at the new gallery spaces.
An entire gallery room and research room will be designed to accommodate the Whitechapel
Gallery’s historic archive, and an Education and research Tower for studying and creative
studios.
These elegant spaces will be designed in collaboration with the famous artist Rachel
Whiteread CBE and theu will be dedicated for artistic purposes.
All the original exhibition spaces will be beautifully and carefully renovated.
Funding
The project follows a £13.3 million capital campaign and its supported by the Heritage
Lottery Fund that grants totaling £3.722.200. London Borough of Tower hamlets grant of
£1.300.000, Arts Council England grant of £1.050.000, European Regional Development
grant of £500.000, London Development Agency grant of £350.000 £2.749.458 raised from
charitable trusts and individual donors, and £2.5million from an auction of artworks donated
by artists in 2006. The funding raised is represented by 57% public sources, 15% from
commercial galleries, 14% from charitable trusts, 12% from individual donors and the
remainder from the Whitechapel’s own founds.
A few words about the Whitechapel
Gallery's History
The area has been a home to the poorest Londoners and to
successive waves of immigrants. Passmore Edwards Library
and Whitechapel Art Gallery were founded to contribute to the
education and cultivation of the residents of the area. They
have offered free cultural provision for generations of East
End people.
The Gallery was founded in 1901 and and hosted numerous
of exhibitions including the the first exhibition of Guernica,
Picasso’s masterpiece in 1939.Many mythical pieces of the art
world were exhibited in the Gallery for first time globally. In
1958 the Gallery presented the first major show in Britain of
Jackson Pollock. In 1970 and 1971 the first shows of David
Hockney, Gilbert & George Richard Long and later in 1980s
90s by Donald Judd, Cy Towmbly, Cindy Sherman and Lucian
Presentation of Guernica by Pablo Picasso
Freud.
From 2000 the Gallery hosted Janet Cardiff & Geirge Bures Miller, Liam Gillick, Nan Goldin, Cristina Iglesias, Paul
MacCarthy, Mark Wallinger and Franz West. The gallery its also famous all over the world for its modern and
contemporary art exhibitions and its public events.
The Gallery played a major role to the cultural heritage of and character of East London bringing art from all over
the world to East London, and continues to be a vital element of the east London's growth.
TEAM
CLIENT
The Trustees of the Whitechapel Art gallery
PROJECT MANAGER
Osprey Mott Macdonald, London
DESIGN TEAM
ARCHITECT
Robbrecht & Daem Architecten, Gent, Belgium
CO-ARCHITECT
Witherford Watson Mann Architects, London
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER
Price & Myers, London
SERVICE MANAGER
Max Fordham & Partners, Cambridge
CONSERVATION ARCHITECT
Richard Griffiths Architects, London
QUANTIY SURVEYOR
Davis Langdon, London
CONSULTANTS
BUILDING CONTROL CONSULTANT
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Building Control, London
ACCESS CONSULTANT
David Bonnett Associates, London
RIGHTS OF LIGHT CONSULTANT
Shatunowski, London
PLANNING SUOERVISOR
Dearle & Henderson, London
The Architects
Robbrecht en Daem Architecten won the commission for the
project through a competition and they are in collaboration
with the English Architects Witherford Watson Mann
architects. The are specialized in the works that require the
the connection between art and architecture. They have
collaborated with some of the most famous artists including
Cristina Iglesias, Isa Genzken and the designer Ann
Demeulemeester. They have designed numerous exhibitions
galleries and institutions related to art collections.
Selected works
1986
1988
1991
1992-97
1997-2003
1997
2000
2001
2003
Initiatief 86, Sint-Pietersabdij, Ghent
BACOB Bank Building, Kerksken
Hufkens Gallery and penthouse , Brussels
Katoen Natie, first place, Ghent
Expansion of Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum , Rotterdam
The canal Houses, Ghent
Gallery house Switzerland
City archives Sint-Felix Pakhuis, Antwerp
Competition Design Library , Amsterdam
PAUL ROBBRECHT
1950
HILDE DAEM 1950
Whitechapel Gallery Proposal Summary
The exhibition program
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Free art exhibitions
Art works inspired by the local culture of east London
Free entrance to art collections
Presentations with educational purposes by distinguished artists
Free access to the Whitechapel’s history archive
The Education Program
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Facilities and spaces for schools, universities and community groups
Workshops and spaces for research with resources archive
School workshops
Public presentation of art writings
Art courses for adults
Online recourses
Free screenings for film makers
Facilities
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Space for schools, colleges and community and archive to be used by teachers and researchers
Access for disabled people
Renovation and increased access to the historic part of the building
Longer timetable
Restaurant, café bookshop and reading room
Capability for group visits and cloakroom
Heritage
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Renovation of the historic building façade
Classification and restoration of Whitechapel’s archive
Renovation of the building interiors in comparison with contemporary art
Floor plan
Level 0
Level -1
Level M
Gallery 3
Gallery 2
Zilkha
Auditorium
Gallery 1
Information
Café / Bar
Lifts
Whitechapel High St
Main Entrance
Bookshop
Cloakroom
White Chapel Gallery
Dining Room
Floor plan
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Gallery 9
Gallery 7
Study Studio
Clore
Creative
Studio 1
Clore
Creative
Studio 2
Gallery 8
Gallery 6
Gallery
5
Information
Café / Bar
Lifts
Foyle
Reading
Room
Gallery 4
Bookshop
Cloakroom
White Chapel Gallery
Dining Room
Turrets not
executed
Mosaic freeze
Not executed
Dormer
Cable
truncated
Tower roof
replaced
Precedents
Terraco a
cartouche
removed
Alterations to the buildings since
construction
Terraco a
Panel
removed
Flagpole a
Later addi on
Leaded
glass
removed
Underground
Entrance inserted
All the alterations to the buildings since the construction didn't’t affect the appearance of
their historic façade, pointing out the importance of it. The main intention of the
architects is to maintain this idea and restore than change any historic element of the
building, internally or externally.
Constraints
• In order to avoid the accumulation of unexercised planning permissions the
development of the project should begin before the expiration of three years
• Building and engineering operations should take place only between 08:00 to 18:00
Monday to Friday and 08:00 to 13:00 Saturdays and not at any time on Sundays or
public holidays to keep the amenity of the area safe.
• The appropriate noise levels is 10db below the existing background noise levels.
• To succeed the best external appearance all external changes of the building or
finishes should match with the existing original work, and always in respect of
materials used.
• The gates of the building should not affect in any way the surrounding streets and
protect the pubic safety.
• Detailed drawings of the roof above the stairwell in the library are required as soon
as possible to allow get the permission for the work to begin.
The projects works fulfill every legal ethic, and every building operation is predicted and
organized so it will not affect the amenity of the local community
Models
Models showing the proposal and the restored façade of the building
Whitechapel Transport policy and site access
Passmore Edwards Library
Whitechapel Art Gallery
The Whitechapel gallery is located on Whitechapel high with street level access and a wide pavement. The building is approachable by tube,
bicycle or on foot.
By bus:
There are seven bus routs from the West, North and form the center to the East with all of them to have bus stops on the high street near the
building.
By Tube:
One of the Algate east station’s exit is located between the two buildings with three more exits to have signage to the Gallery.
By Rail:
Liverpool Street station is 10 minuts walk far from the Gallery
By car:
There are two parking bays outside the building for disabled drivers
By bike:
Cycle routes are available from London transport website
By airplane:
Stanstead airport is 45 min away from liverpool street station
The Whitechapel project
Constraints
Passmore Edwards Library
Whitechapel Art Gallery
Site description and surrounding area
Site plan
Passmore Edwards library
Whitechapel Art Gallery
The proposal site is located to the north side of Whitechapel
High Street, to the west of the juncture with Osborn Street,
Whitechurch Land and Whitechapel Road. The north side of the
site is bordered by Angel Alley.
The site consists of two different buildings, built around the
same period both with perceivable architectural character.
The Gallery is a part four storey building with basement
grade II* listed.I It was designed by Charles Harrison Townsend
and its characterized by its arched entrance, its frieze, the
horizontal windows and the two turrets.
The library was designed by Messrs Potts, Sulman and
Hennings and is a part four strorey with basement grade II
listed. Main characteristics its triple glazed frontage, its baroque
style and the entrance of Algate Underground station.
Basement
Ground floor
Level 0
Access and servicing
Gallery 2
Zilkha
Auditorium
Gallery 1
The two entrances on the ground floor will remain
remain in situ with the add of glass panels. The gallery’s
entrance will be the main one with the library's to be the
second. In that way the building will have a free access
during exhibitions and all year round.
The corridors of the library will remain the same. A lift is
proposed to the east side of the building with three
entrances for different uses.
Library reading room
The reading room would become a gallery focus on
the history of the area. All the elements of the floor will
remain in situ and will be repaired. Openings will be
added in the north west corner for connection to the
existing ground floor gallery.
Café
A new café is proposed to the south east corner of the
building with street view and a chimney height flue.
Whitechapel High St
Main Entrance
Ground floor plan
1 archive if first floor
2 café
3 meeting room
4 services
3
4
2
4
1
Mezzanie floor plan
First Floor
Level 1
The connection of the two
buildings will be achieved
through an opening at the north
east corner of the of the
exhibition gallery.
The cantilever stair will be to
achieve the best circulation
around the gallery.
Gallery 9
Gallery 7
Gallery 8
Gallery 6
Gallery
5
Foyle
Reading
Room
Gallery 4
Collection Gallery
The collection library would
become an exhibition space for
local national international and
individual purposes.
On the back of the floor an airconditioning system would be
added with covering.
Archive Collection and
reading room
The children’s library to the front
of the library would become a
reading room.(gallery 6 and 7)
Glased screen would separate
the two rooms. A Lift would be to
the west opening on three sides
for different functions. A new
staircase would be created to
the east side of the porch.
First floor plan
Second floor plan
A new roof would be provided above
library stair and collection gallery
Study studios, kitchen toilets and office
will be proposed that will be connected
by the removal of interior walls
1
1 storage
2 toilets
3 education
4 office
2
4
3
Third floor and roof
Educational spaces would be created on the third floor with
work facilities such as storages and wet areas.
Windows will be erected fully glazed for view with a
cartouche in situ.
A new roof is proposed but with retaining the roof line to the
front elevation. Also a balcony would be provided on the
back.
Building sections
Annotated elevation of
the proposal
LED display
New glazed doors
New openings above
underground entrance New glazed doors
LED display
Consultation
The proposal didn’t receive any formal comments or
objections regarding:
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Environmental health
Head of building control
Head of highways devpt
Corporate access officer
Transport of London
English heritage
London underground Ltd.
The victorian society
The proposal for the expansion of the Whitechapel
gallery into Passmore Edwards library was carefully
and respectfully handled, by making the two buildings
as consistent whole, by retaining their indivisual
character and pointing out the group value.
Design constraints
The proposal considers and respects the architectural value of the two buildings and any
removal of existing walls or the use of new dividers were considered carefully according to the
council policies of the Unitary Development Plan.
Some specific considerations about the design
• The chimney breasts were advised to be retained
• The original library stair roof should be replaced with something equally significant
• The storm doors of the building should not be removed as they represent the history of the
building
• The gable and dormer should be restored
The design of the proposal seems to add to the character of the two buildings and not to
affect the their appearance, and the appearance of the street
Information used for planning application
Proposal for the demolition of:
• Existing front stair of the Whitechapel gallery
• library back roof
• mezzanines
• Existing library front doors
• Library stair roof
• Local trimming for new lifts
• Existing attic
Proposed materials
• Brickwork limewash finish (third floor rear first floor courtyard)
• Standing seam zinc, steel mesh (first and second floor)
• Cleaning and repair of existing facedes
• Standing seam zinc, third floor roof
• Standing seam zinc first floor
• Repair of slate roof and existing lead roofs over turret and bay window
• New metal frame rooflights, doubled glazed
• Repair of existing timber framed windows, new secondary glazing to first floor
• New steel frame windows double glazed, elevation on interior of site
• New glazed entrance doors to library and gallery
The Whitechapel project
Procurement
Different types of procurements
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Traditional
Design and built
Management
Traditional
The traditional procurement, is the most common, and in that case the design process is
completely separated from the construction. The client is responsible to gather the required
documents before the assignment of the contractor. The contractor usually is selected
through competition, or negotiation.
The client controls the design process with the architects and his consultants. The
traditional procurement is a time spending method since the design and construction are
separated. Thought that makes the projects risks lower due to the slower time of the project.
A big advantage is that the costs and the quality of the project are easier to be estimated and
more precisely, under the supervision of the consultants and the architects.
Design and built procurement
In that case the contractor is the one that takes care both the design and the construction
work. In this form of procurement might be faster according to client demands but the project
risks its quality since neither the client or the consultant have control of the design process.
Management
In this case the client assigns the project team with the management contractor who directly
manages the project. This is the best method for fast projects and the not inexperienced
clients. The risks in that case is higher where the major aim is the speed.
White chapel Procurement
The procurement for the Whitechapel project is the traditional one. The reason is that the project is
a medium scale project and the design was separated to the construction process since the design
was selected through a competition.
The project has low risks and the client is involved with the design process.
The role of the architect was to coordinate the project and be present present to the construction,
checking and administrating the whole process according to the design and the projects
constraints.
The project manager, Mott Macdonald was responsible for the completion of the construction
according to the timeline and schedule. Also more things to take under consideration were the
projects budget, risks and business partnerships.
After the completion of the design process, all the documents had to be presented to the project
contractor.
The present procurement guaranteed a successful project result. The contractor was the
connection to the client, that had to reassure him for the for the right development of the project
and the right documentation.
The construction has to follow the budget agreement which means careful and not reckless
spends.
Even if, with this kind of procurement the construction time would be longer, the possibility of risks
is lower, specially for such an elegant project witch has to do with historic heritage buildings.
After the final stage of the construction the architects have to make sure that the building
services are in accordance the health, safety and environment regulations.