Llanrumney Hall Art Centre
"The brief asks you to transform Llanrumney Hall into a new community facility by establishing a clear spatial strategy and organisation for the re-use of the given spaces"
Brief & Building Analysis
The brief asks for the design of a new community centre in the building that is Llanrumney Hall. Key requirements are clear spatial strategy that provides clever re-utilization of the space and gives the building a unique identity.
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Llanrumney Hall is a Grade II* listed Elizabethan mansion, located next to the Rhumney river in Llanrumney. The building sits on a 26 acre land in the middle of a housing estate but has an open ground view from the South and the East. It has gone through centuries of historic events and reconstructions since it was first built in 1450. Popular names like Henry Morgan and 'Llewellyn the Last' are often associated with legends surrounding the site. Now it sits completely derelict with a massive need of repair, apart from a few rooms in the East wing that were transformed into a pub and are currently being used. Llanrumney Hall is getting a redevelopment by a company called “Franks + Toms Architects” and with a budged of £1 million, sponsored by a “businessman and Cardiff City director Steve Borley”, it is planned to be turned into an educational and sports centre.
Timeline
Visual timeline showing facts and legends related to the building
The two maps below show the area around Llanrumney Hall and how the site has evolved overtime. Based on the conducted reasearch, it can be estimated that the grounds surrounding the Hall consisted mainly of an open green land with very few buildings/ structures situated irregularly around it (fig. 1). After the compulsary purchase of Llanrumney in 1952, the site underwent serious changes. The second map below (fig. 2) shows Llanrumney Hall today: it is situated in the middle of a housing estate, which has taken up most of the green land that used to surround it, along with a dramatic increase of roads and pathways.
Fig. 1. Map showing the site in 1900
Fig. 2. Map showing the site today
Llanrumney Hall has gone through a series of changes in terms of building shape throughout the years. The phasing diagrams below show the stages of its construction and how it has evolved over time.
The building was listed by CADW: “the Welsh Government’s historic environment service working for an accessible and well-protected historic environment for Wales”, on 19th May 1975. The reasons for its listing are as follows:
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plasterwork ceilings
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Arts & Crafts fireplace and staircase
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Gothic windows.
The significance plan below shows photos and personal sketches of the listed features, as well as their location within the existing building.
Concept Proposal
There will be 4 references about the building's history within the building itself:
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coloured film will be put on the Gothic windows, referring to the fact the Hall was built on the grounds of a church
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the lines, coming off the walls, remind of pirates and how they used to go treasure hunting ( a Henry Morgan reference)
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the coffee shop has integrated bookshelves within the stairs (a reference to the history teacher E. A. James)
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there will be room dividers featuring shapes from traditional Arts and Crafts wallpapers (Charls Crofts Williams reference)
The Design
My proposal is for an art centre which will have its own gallery space on the ground floor.
The long narrow room at the back of the building on the ground floor will be turned into a 'Timeline wall' room.
The building will also feature a 2-floor coffee shop which will have its own entrance and will be able to work individually. There will be weekly book clubs held in the cafe space.
The first floor will feature a stand-up worktop classroom with a projection screen; and a big flexible space that can be used for a variety of events.
The last floor of the building will be mainly occupied by artists, who will be able to rent out workshops for their own use. Those workshops will have glass front walls and will be always opened to the public: that way a real connection between artist-viewer can be made. There is also a theater and a class classroom.
Room dividers
Room dividers, featuring cutout shapes from traditional Arts and Crafts wallpapers, will create the visual idea of one big interrelated space between the cafe and reception area.
Bookshelves
The coffee shop features a staircase and 3 bar counters with incorporated criss-crossed bookshelves.
Function proposals for the flexible room on the first floor
Timeline wall
It will feature an interactive timeline, showing Llanrumney Halls' history from initial construction up until present days. There are 4 vertical coloured lines that follow the wall and continue down the floor into the building. Their aim is to guide people towards the main historical features that are still in place in the Hall.
Gallery
The Art Gallery consists of a series of flexible panels that act as walls upon which artwork can be presented. The panels can be rearranged so that they form a different layout depending on what is needed..
Visualisations
A timeline wall, showing the building's history will be the centrepoint of the design
A series of lines coming from images on the wall will continue down the floor and into the main building, guiding people towards the main features in Llanrumney Hall.
Gallery Space, Ground Floor
Timeline Wall Room, Ground Floor
Presentation Sheets
Intro, building analysis and concept proposal
Plans, sections and visuals
Detailed document that holds records of the research on the building and proposes key policies in terms of the conservation management