National Gallery New Wing Competition Stage
Brief Formation and Technical Review of Competition Entries
Client: The National Gallery
Status: N/A
OVERVIEW
Following the NG200 celebrations and related developments marking its 200th anniversary, the National Gallery is pursuing a further ambitious development, the construction of a "New Wing" on the site of the existing St Vincent's House building to the north-west of the existing site. The New Wing will include 1,500 m² of new gallery space, enabling the gallery's ambition to expand its collection to include 20th- and 21st-century art. JGC took responsibility for the building's MEP and sustainability requirements, working with the client to understand the project priorities, drafting the relevant sections of the architectural brief to outline the building requirements, and reviewing the competition entries to inform the gallery's choice of architect.
The £365 million project was initiated through a prestigious architectural competition to expand one of the UK's most iconic institutions. JGC’s appointment covered the full scope of building services and sustainability priorities and requirements.
JGC conducted several workshops with a range of key stakeholders and undertook a detailed analysis of the building's requirements and its potential impact, including its capacity to enable wider change across the gallery's estate. This understanding was distilled into the architectural brief, following collaboration with the gallery's estates and maintenance team, the other represented design disciplines, and other relevant stakeholders, and included area requirements and technical direction. This enabled the many world-renowned architects competing for the project to produce competition designs with confidence and pursue pioneering schemes.
Following the shortlisting process, JGC served on the technical panel, which conducted technical workshops with the six selected architectural teams and provided feedback on their ongoing work. Subsequently, JGC reviewed the designs for technical feasibility and adherence to the brief, reporting back to the judging panel the levels of technical viability and brief adherence for each project, thereby contributing to the final project selection.