Science Studio
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.
