Cheltenham Art Gallery to get £5 million extension

Cheltenham Borough Council is going to develop the semi-derelict site to the east of the Art Gallery & Museum to provide additional space for Art exhibitions. There will also be a large education space for schoolchildren, a bigger shop and ground-floor cafe which will be spreading out on to St Mary's churchyard.

78 architects have entered a competition to develop the shopfronts to the east of the gallery. The design should be environmentally–friendly, using construction from quality natural and reclaimed materials, together with a combination of on–site and off–site sustainable energy sources. The architects were encouraged to design the new extension in a way to create a ‘presence on the street’, to redefine the current street façade, but at the same time to complement the scale of the neighbouring buildings.

A shortlist of four designs will be announced late next month and final judging will be completed by mid-December.

You can view paper versions of the designs in A3 format, at the Art Gallery & Museum (from 19 September to 17 October) during regular opening hours ( Monday to Saturday 10am to 5.20pm, 11am opening on 1st Thursday of each month).

They can also be seen in full size (A1 format) in the 1st floor meeting room on the following dates / times:
20 Sept – pm only (from 2.00)
21 Sept– all day
22 Sept – all day
24 Sept – all day
27 Sept – am only (until 1pm)
29 Sept – all day
1 Oct – all day
4 Oct – all day
5 Oct – am only (until 2pm)
8 Oct – all day
9 Oct – am only (until 1pm)
10 Oct – all day
13 Oct – all day (part of the Big Draw Event)
15 Oct – all day
16 Oct – all day
17 Oct – all day

You can also see the submissions online on Cheltenham Borough Council Flickr page.