Client:
SPUD (Space Placemaking and Urban Design)
Location:
Winchester Science Centre, Lymington Salt Marshes, Mottisfont Abbey Hampshire,
Buckler’s Hard, New Forest National Park.
Construction value:
£50,000
Completion:
January 2015
"A look in and a look out for artist and audience"
The Observatory is a mobile artist studio and workshop designed to encourage interaction between artists and their audience, through a blurring of public and private and inside and outside spaces.
Four architectural assistants from FCBStudios (Charlotte Knight, Ross Galtress, Mina Gospavic and Lauren Shevills) together with Devon-based artist Edward Crumpton won a competition to create a structure that could house multi-disciplinary artists and directly engage with the public. They responded to the brief by creating two rotating wooden structures:
The team was inspired by the geometric forms of Sol de Wit and a 15th century painting Saint Jerome in His Study in which the viewer looks into the framed space of the artist, with a landscape framed beyond.
With these ideas in mind, The Observatory frames the artist’s space inside and its surrounding landscapes outside. Artist or audience can rotate the buildings, which like telescopes, can face new points of interest –
a nod to the coastal defence ‘look out’ structures often found along the British coastline.
Dark charred timber panels, created using a Japanese technique called Shou Sugi Ban form the external cladding. This richly textured, outer layer contrasts with the smooth lighter woods used inside the cabins. Edward Crumpton’s knotted and tarred marlin rope screen adds further decorative detail that will weather beautifully over time.
The Observatory will occupy four locations across the South of England over a two year period, giving twelve artists the opportunity of a two month residency each. A wood-burning stove provides heat, the solar panel on the roof is enough to power a light bulb and a laptop, and rainwater harvesting supplies the artist’s sink with water.
Watch short films of the resident artist experiences on location
Stop-motion film of the revolving studios on location at Winchester Science Centre.
2016: Stephen Lawrence Prize: Shortlist
2016 RIBA South Award
2016 Civic Trust Award: Pro-Tem: Winner
2016 Architects' Journal Small Projects Award: Readers’ Choice: Winner
2015 Wood Awards: Best Small Building: Winner
2015 Civic Trust Award: Regional Finalist