Colander

The Hepworth Gallery, Wakefield

This competition was directed by Louise Harrison whilst at the RIBA Competitions Office.

The competition was for the design of the Waterfront Gallery later to become known as The Hepworth.

Winners

David Chipperfield Architects

Process

Expression of interest followed by invited design phase with 6 teams participating.

Our involvement

  • Designing the right competitive process
  • Researching and identifying potential competitors to alert to the competition
  • Advertising the competition in print and on-line media
  • Writing the competition rules
  • Appointing an Architect Assessor to write the competition brief
  • Planning the competition timetable and budget to meet client requirements
  • Acting as point of contact for the competition
  • Ensuring a clear and ethical process
  • Briefing the jury panel
  • Briefing competitors
  • Managing the competitive process
  • Advising on and then managing the scoring/evaluation procedures
  • Arranging and facilitate interviews and presentations
  • Maintaining confidentiality
  • Creating an audit trail
  • Assisting with press and media enquiries and coverage
  • Competition administration
  • Debriefing and follow up

Facts

  • This was a large high profile competition that once announced was very much in the public eye
  • The competition was widely advertised to attract international as well as national and local firms
  • The Council was looking to appoint high quality designers, capable of creating something exceptional, with whom they could develop an innovative and clever design for the waterside location.
  • The competition involved a rigorous procurement route based on the OJEU processes.
  • Building was funded by Wakefield Council, Arts Council England and the Heritage Lottery Fund, Yorkshire Forward, the Homes and Communities Agency and the European Regional Development Fund
  • The Hepworth Wakefield is a structure composed of tentrapezoidal blocks; its upper-level galleries are lit by natural light from large windows in the pitched roofs. Its windows have views of the river, historic waterfront and the city skyline. The building’s façade is clad with self-compacting pigmented concrete made on site, the first of its kind in the United Kingdom.
  • The building has won numerous awards including Wallpaper Design Award 2012 and Best Architectural Achievement at The British Design Awards 2011