(NU/1126) Hatton Gallery Refurbishment

Tender description

The Hatton Gallery is a public art gallery within the Fine Art Department of Newcastle University. It is on one floor of the King Edward VII Building, which is sited on the University’s main quadrangle, off King’s Road. The site comprises the original 1911 King Edward VII School of Art with an adjoining extension constructed in 1965, plus alterations made in 1983. The building is then split in use between Gallery Space and Student Learning Space. Both the Gallery Space and Student Learning areas are in need of refurbishment and a new identity. A design has therefore been developed to refurbish the (partially) Grade II listed Hatton Gallery to a high standard, enhancing the historic fabric of the building and the quality of the visitor experience. With the intention to make it easier for people to access the Gallery and its services, helping the University to fulfill its role as a Civic University. The scope of works focuses on modernising and redeveloping the gallery space, then adapting and modernizing the existing Picture Store, Learning Space, Seminar Rooms and associated circulation space. By modifying the building layout and improving environmental conditions it is intended that the Fine Art Department and the Hatton Gallery will be better able to co-exist with a more legible visitor experience, and that improved cross pollination of ideas and initiatives will result in an enhanced public offer. The project will reveal and enhance the significance of this important historic building. It will enable the collections to be much better presented and to form a focus for creative dialogue with contemporary art practice and with outstanding items from other collections, both national and international. Critically, it will give the Hatton a springboard from which it can realise its potential to play a full and distinctive role in the cultural life of the University, the City and the region. This tender was for the recruitment of a main contractor for this scheme.