Engineering a new identity for Coventry museum

Glulam makes another impressive mark
By John Cotton

Architects Pringle Richards Sharratt has used Finnforest Merk’s expertise in engineered timber solutions to deliver two crowning elements for the redevelopment of the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum in Coventry.

The scheme consists of two new galleries, a state-of-the-art history centre, an underground city archive and a 50m long public covered arcade. Architects at Pringle Richards Sharratt were challenged with engaging the existing gallery with the public spaces around it, including the ruins of the old Cathedral and imposing new Cathedral, which sit opposite the site.

The solution is a partially glazed gridshell arcade formed of glulam. The gridshell is designed to reflect its Coventry city centre context as a civic space, by resembling the interior of the City’s cathedral roof and extending the presence of the gallery towards this famous landmark.

“The concept for the arcade was to turn the rear of the building into the front. At the same time we needed to establish a pedestrian route connecting the arcade with the exisiting entrance to the building,” explains John Pringle, Principal at Pringle Richards Sharratt.

Meanwhile the 342sqm History Centre within the redevelopment of the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum has been topped by a curving glulam beam and solid timber panel structure, which is supported with spruce columns. The mono pitch roof curves upwards to meet the edge of the arcade, transforming into the diagonal gridshell.

Glulam from Finnforest was used to create both the gridshell structure and vaulted roof. It was selected for its exceptional strength and lightweight properties and is especially suited for use in the load bearing structures of buildings where architectural beauty is being sought in structurally challenging designs. Meanwhile the aesthetic qualities of the timber mean that exposed beams and the structural system become a point of architectural interest in their own right.

Because Finnforest sources all its timber from PEFC or FSC certified forests, and ensures that an independently audited chain of custody is adhered to at every stage of the material’s processing, engineered timber is an ideal choice for architects seeking to contribute to the sustainable agenda.

Photos by Charlotte Wood Photography

More information: www.finnforest.co.uk