Damien Hirst Science Studio
Damien Hirst Science Studio
New build studio complex.
As Damien Hirst outgrew his original studio space in Chalford it was decided to combine production and storage facilities on a single industrial site outside Stroud.
A series of three interconnected buildings were constructed, comprising a workshop, a secure art store and a double height gallery space. The workshop and storage buildings were clad in clinical white metal panels with vertical seams that produced an optical illusion when passing by: opposite sides of the seams were painted blue and green — the colours of Science Ltd — causing the colour of the building to change from different viewpoints.
The double height gallery building, clad in 18m high sliver panels, includes a mezzanine floor accessed via a set of narrow stairs cast into walls formed from white concrete; both the oversized doors that led into the gallery and the concealed staircases deliberately reference Egyptian temple architecture.
A fourth building completes the complex; designed to house chemical processes this was clad in bespoke white glazed bricks with a dramatic angular planform that followed the original boundaries of the site. A sophisticated ventilation system was installed to allow safe use of volatile chemicals.
Vertical seams produced an optical illusion when passing by: opposite sides of the seams were painted blue and green — causing the colour of the building to change from different viewpoints.
