Creative Arts Business Units, Aberystwyth Arts Centre, University of Wales, United Kingdom

In 2005 the University of Wales Arts Centre at Aberystwyth University developed a plan to produce 16 starter units for small business arts enterprises to encourage commercial enterprise in the area.

The project, it was decided, should be constructed as many units, instead of just a single block, on a wooded plot near the main campus. Consequently the project was put forward into a design competition for architects to make suggestions for the innovative project.

Aberystwyth Arts Centre is the largest and most successful in Wales with a turnover of €5.5m a year offering a mix of arts programming, contemporary exhibitions and events for the local area and the wider region. The development of the new Creative Arts Business (CAB) units (10m × 8m × 5m) will enable the centre to develop its role as a focus for the development of creative businesses, products and activity.

The objective is to offer a series of business units / studios on the campus of varying and flexible sizes to accommodate a wide range of creative businesses, arts development agencies, artists and craft workers. The mix of businesses will be a unique feature of this development with both new and established occupants interacting to realise their economic and creative potential.

Construction work on the project began in 2007.

CREATIVE ARTS UNIT DESIGN

Heatherwick Studio of King's Cross in London won the competition to design high-tech visually aesthetic, functional and low-cost facilities for 16 start-up arts businesses wishing to locate at the Aberystwyth Arts Centre on the University of Wales Aberystwyth campus.

The decision was made early on not to spoil the woodland of the site proposed for the project by producing a single block. Instead Heatherwick decided to intersperse eight smaller buildings (80m² each) between the trees. The buildings will basically consist of simple timber frame sheds (produced from sustainable timber), which are then divided down the middle and pulled apart to provide light, ventilation and a shared entrance area for each dual unit.

Heatherwick studio researched, developed and ordered a special stainless steel metal cladding / coating system for the buildings. Stainless steel is robust and resistant to corrosion (especially important as Aberystwyth is relatively wet and also a seaside resort) but expensive (although not as expensive as titanium which has been used on various well-known buildings in the past).

The cladding metal sourced is the thickness of cooking foil (0.127mm) making it affordable, but easily crinkled. The cladding has no structural rigidity and provides little insulation. These problems of the cladding are overcome during installation by crinkling it in a prearranged manner and then spraying CFC-free insulation foam on the back of the crinkled surface to give the panels the properties of rigidity and insulation.

The panelling produced in this way accommodates architectural details such as eaves and windowsills and has a non-uniformity which reflects the woodland leaves and parts of sky in its multi-faceted surface to give a natural multi-hued surface.

FINANCE AND CONSTRUCTION

The project was funded by support from the Arts Council of Wales Lottery Fund, the Welsh Assembly Government and also Aberystwyth University.

The project management contract was undertaken by Heatherwick Studio Construction (building arm of the design practice).

Groundwork / foundations on the 0.9-hectare site were undertaken by E Ll Hughes & Son of Aberystwyth and the prefabricated structures were supplied and installed by Lowfield Timber Frames of Welshpool.

RESIDENTS OF THE SCHEME

The CAB scheme has already attracted a lot of interest for interested organisations such as Honno Books, and Creu Cymru, the National Development Agency for Theatres and Arts Centres in Wales.

In addition three units will be used for the Arts Centre's Artists in Residence scheme, which will offer 12 visual and applied artists the opportunity to develop their work during three-month long residencies (funding provided from the Esme Fairbairn Foundation for artists from the UK and Wales Arts International for overseas artists).