chi chester district museum

7/31/2019 Chi Chester District Museum

1/10

keith

williamsarchitects

Chichester District Museum,2007-20111

PUBLIC LANDMARK BUILDING : HISTORIC CITY ENVIRONMENT

k

eithwilliams

architects

New District Museum, Chichester, W. Sussex(Under Construction)


2/10

keith

williamsarchitects


keith

williamsarchitects

Concept Sketch of Entrance Gallery


3/10

keith

williamsarchitects


Keith Williams won the RIBA run competition to

design the new District Museum in the historic

cathedral city of Chichester in West Sussex.The site of the development, which is close to

the Citys Cathedral, is currently a car park but

contains the remains of the Roman baths of the

city of Noviomagnus Regni. The baths, discovered

in the 1970s, will be a permanent exhibit within the

Museum which can be seen from close range as

part of the displays about the story of Chichester

and its District. In Williams concept these will

be on display and become an intrinsic part of

a museum. The project will also incorporate a

residential development on part of the site, which

Williams will also design, in order to help fund the

project.

Construction began in April 2010 and the project is

due for completion in Autumn 2011.

keith

williamsarchitects

The building is making a major contribution to to the cityscontemporary architecture in a way that it is sensitive to thehistoric fabric and grain. It has been praised by the South East

Design Panel and by English Heritage. We are looking for wardto its opening.

Anne Bone : Arts and Heritage Development Manager,Chichester District Council


4/10

keith

williamsarchitects



5/10

keith

williamsarchitects


The city plan of Chichester is

characterised by a ring of largely intactenveloping medieval walls, within whichthe older city is segmented into 4 roughlyequal quadrants by a cruciform streetpattern centred upon a medieval marketcross. The site for the new 1,300sqmDistrict Museum and adjacent 26apartment residential project, sits in thenorth-west quadrant, above West Streetthe citys western arm, and the medievalcathedral.

Chichesters character changesmarkedly just north of West Street, and

its freestanding medieval bell tower. Theimmediate vicinity of the museum sitewas irrevocably altered during the 1960sand 1970s, when many of the historicbuildings that once formed the streetscene were swept away. Consequently,few buildings of evident architecturalsignicance survive, beyond thoselisted on Tower Street to the south andopposite the Museum site. The siteitself is currently a browneld car parkbeneath which are the remains of thecitys Roman baths.

In response, Williams Museum andresidential project attempts to establisha new urban grain by creating a uniedblock, with a new set of buildings alongTower Street and Woolstaplers settingup a new coherent streetscape.

The Roman baths, dating from the

Flavian period (69 - 96 AD) of theRoman city (Noviomagnus Regni),were discovered in the 1970s, and willbe displayed in situ in the entrancegallery, becoming an intrinsic part of theMuseum, with the new galleries oatingabove the displayed archaeology. Thebuilding will contain permanent andtemporary galleries, collection storage,workshop, research and library spaces,and a learning room, in addition to publicfacilities.

The Museum has over 1,000 geological

specimens (primarily fossils), some8,500 social history artefacts and itemsof ephemera, 3,600+ photographs andin excess of 300,000 archaeologicalnds, describing the story of ChichesterDistrict from geological times onwards.

The new public galleries are stackedvertically on 3 levels and linked by aprocessional stair culminating with viewacross the city to the cathedral from thebuildings highest level.

The citys set piece public and religiousstructures such as the market cross,cathedral and bell tower are allconstructed in pale stone in a city thatis otherwise brick or render. The newMuseum will be clad in pale reconstructedstone, establishing its architectural and

cultural connection with the tradition of

Chichesters grander public structures,creating an architectural accent amongstTower Streets otherwise brick buildings.The residential development is seenas fullling a supporting architecturalrole to the museum, and is composedof red brick with a set back attic storeyconsistent with the typical housing modelof the city.

Both the Museum and the residentialscheme take a three storey parapet levelconsistent with the general scale of thecity, and the listed buildings to the southon the east side of Tower Street, with thezinc clad residential attic storey recessedto be read as part of the roofscape. Atits northern end, the Museums mainelevation incorporates a cubic turret tointroduce variety and accent to the streetscene, and to signal the Museum to bothWest Street and the approach from thecity walls to the north.

The new Museum when realised isintended to achieve a delicate balancebetween the contemporary and thehistoric, symbolising a city that is proudof its heritage but recognises that like allcities that it must also embrace culturalchange.

keith

williamsarchitects

keith

williamsarchitects


6/10

keith

williamsarchitects


keith

williamsarchitects

1 50 2 3 4

10m

NLevel 0

KEY:

1. Entrance2. Shop3. Foyer

4. Roman Ruin Remains

5. Temporary Gallery6. Research Library

7. Administration Office8. Permanent Gallery

9. Learning Room10. Cathedral Window

11. 1 Bed Apartment

12. 2 Bed Apartment

1

2

3

4

12

1112

11

12

Under Construction : January 2011


7/10

keith

williamsarchitects


Extent Archaeology Roman ThermaeThe new museum is being constructed about these remainwhich will be displayed in the main entrance gallery


8/10

keith

williamsarchitects


Facts & Figures

Project Title : Chichester District Museum

Client : Chichester District Council

Programme : 2007 - 2011

Area : 1,100 sqm

Budget : 6.9 million


9/10

keith

williamsarchitects


keith

williamsarchitects


10/10

keith

williamsarchitects

Chichester District Museum

keith

williamsarchitects

keith williams architects17 - 21 Emerald Street

HolbornLondon

WC1N 3QN

tel : +44 (0)20 7841 5810fax: +44(0)20 7841 5811

studio@keithwilliamsarchitects.comwww.keithwilliamsarchitects.com

Under Construction : January 2011

chi chester district museum

Documents