The Observatory
Competition Winner Announced!
After much deliberation and careful consideration by a highly experienced panel of judges, a design developed by of team of five young graduates in architecture and art was chosen. Four members of the team are all part of Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios in London, with the fifth member being Devon based artist Edward Crumpton.
The Studio and Workshop shown on location at Lymington Salt Marshes
The design team working on the various construction materials, including the charred wood cladding and knotted marlin rope
The Observatory structures shown in context
The interior of the Study and Workshop spaces
Illustrations to show how the two structures can independently rotate to take advantage of daylight and vistas and respond to the varied landscapes
The Design Team – including Edward Crumpton, Charlotte Knight, Mina Gospavic, Lauren Shevills, Ross Galtress
The panel felt their winning design cleverly delivered on all the criteria of the competition and produced an elegant structure that although contemporary in form is rich in texture, tradition and personality. The structures are crafted from sustainable materials and are respectful to their environments. Initially a striking silhouette in the landscape, they slowly reveal themselves as you approach, with an exterior surface of charred wood cladding, complex woven tarred marlin rope screens and subtle interior detailing. These quiet spaces will provide a retreat for the resident artist and a place of discovery for passers-by.
The winners stated that: Our design aspires to articulate the collaborative process, between architecture and art, which epitomizes this competition’s ethos, with a highly crafted and distinctive proposal for The Observatory. We’ve taken an aesthetic approach that is informed by the natural beauty of sustainable materials, the unique characteristics of the sites and the tripartite narrative between the resident artist, general public and wider landscape. With rigorous research, attention to detail and inter-disciplinary collaboration, we aim to realise a project of exceptional design quality that creates moments of meaningful engagement for everyone that has a chance to look upon, into or out of The Observatory. The Study and The Workshop, are responsive to the landscape through their ability to rotate. This will allow the structures to act as shifting framing devices to the landscape beyond and encourage the artist and audiences to interact by blurring the boundaries between public and private.
The resident artists will be able to orientate The Observatory to take maximum advantage of daylight and vistas, or to create shelter from the prevailing weather. The Study will provide a private and reflective space for the artists to work, while The Workshop will allow for a range of interaction with the general public. The Observatory will arrive pre-fabricated to site, the light-touch and simple installation methods causing minimum disruption and disturbance during installation and removal.
Charlotte Knight, of the winning team, said: “The team and I have been through a fantastic journey over the last few months and I cannot thank Mina, Lauren, Ross and Ed enough for their incredible hard work and dedication. Our work would not have been possible without the continuous support of everyone at Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios and Jane Wernick Associates. We are overjoyed to have been chosen from a selection of such strong entries and we are now thoroughly looking forward to the next step of working with Mark and the team at SPUD in order to realise The Observatory.”
Mark Drury of SPUD said: “we’ve been overwhelmed with the high quality of entries received for the competition and making a decision was incredibly tough. We are delighted with the winning design and look forward to developing The Observatory with such a young, enthusiastic and energetic team of designers.”
The project team is currently working on securing all the funding to deliver the £50,000 construction and installation costs of The Observatory, plus funding for the residencies and engagement programme. A crowd-funding page will launch soon and we would be delighted to hear from potential sponsors for the programme.
A BBC article can also be found following this link: