Egremont Castle Pavilion
The Pavilion is a new demountable performance structure set in the grounds of Egremont Castle keep.
It will enable performances, concerts and other events to take place at any time of the year
regardless of the weather conditions.
Part of Egremont and Area Regeneration Partnership's public art strategy the design of the
Pavilion has been the subject of an international competition organised by RIBA
(Royal Institute of British Architects) and promoted by Grizedale Arts who deliver Creative
Egremont's projects.
Pictured above the winning design from Jean Gilles Decosterd, from Lausanne, Switzerland.
Below a plan and model of the structure.
The design competition was funded by West Lakes Renaissance and Arts Council
England with additional funding identified for the building phase of the project in 2008.
The final design is innovative and preserves the historic features of the site, which is
a scheduled ancient monument, intact.
Entries have come from architects, designers,
engineers and students of these disciplines.
These were on public exhibition in Egremont in
October so that public comments could be taken
on board before being judged.
The three first round winners of the preferred schemes were were selected from 27 entrants
from across the globe.
Above: The other two first round finalists designs. Dot Dot Dot Architects , from Brooklyn,
USA; Moxon with Built Engineers from London
The first stage winners were invited to develop their concepts
to an advanced level and present them to the jury panel
again where an overall winner was chosen for their design
to be built, subject to funding.
The winners were Decosterd-Cotting Architects of Lausanne
with Guscetti-Tournier Engineers from Geneva in Switzerland.
Moxon Architects with Built Engineers from London and Yehre Suh & Justin Kwok from Brooklyn,
USA both made excellent presentations but the panel were unanimous in selecting
Decosterd-Cotting Architects as their design was felt to be the most flexible and elegant solution
to a very challenging brief.
The radical design from Decosterd Cotting will be Cumbria's first truly contemporary architectural
commission. It provides a cover for the ruined castle Baillie using a lightweight flexible membrane
stretched between four hydraulic pillars. The structure can be raised and lowered for public
performance events and removed when not in use.
Alistair Hudson of Grizedale Arts was particularly impressed by the winning design in that "it was
an extremely technical and contemporary solution, yet it was the only entry which allowed the castle
architecture to speak for itself. By using the existing walls it was effectively putting the roof back on
the castle and bringing it backing to use."
The RIBA, Royal Institute of British Architects, Competitions Office has helped the smooth
organisation of the competition, encouraging excellence in design, value for money and ensuring
things ran smoothly until the appointment was made. RIBA's competition process has produced
landmark buildings/structures such as BALTIC and The Sage Gateshead and the Millennium
Bridge. http://www.architecture.com/Home.aspx RIBAcompet04.pdf http://www.riba.org/go/RIBA/Also/Competitions_6378.html
Robin Snell, RIBA Adviser commented: "The winning architect has understood the wider
architectural aspirations of the Brief proposing an effortless, abstract and elegant structure
which successfully balances the new with the old to make a new venue and focus for the town.
Importantly the idea has the ‘room' to be developed with the Client, to create a memorable
multipurpose space, which will give the town something it would not have thought possible at
the outset."
Jean-Gilles Decosterd of the winning practice said of the design, ‘'The structural concept echoes
the architectural project which is a dialogue between the castle and its environment throughout the
curved, straightforward and fluid silhouette. The choice of the structural scheme and its integrated
materials meant to be used frequently must cope with assembly and dismantling on a daily basis
The shape of the cover, a hyperbolic paraboloid, is capable of supplying the necessary rigidity and
strength.'' Decosterd Cutting
The Competition has been part of a public art strategy devised by Grizedale Arts for Egremont,
which aims to create an infrastructure and platform the town's growing cultural life.
Ann Morton of the Egremont and Area Regeneration Partnership board and member of
Friends of Egremont Castle group said ‘' At each stage, this project has taken us nearer to realising
a long standing vision to have a wonderful performance and activity space within the castle grounds
protecting participants from the weather and providing an inspirational piece of architectural design
that compliments this historic building''
The new structure places an iconic building within another and extends the use of the castle for
concerts, plays and public events through provision of a weather proof cover and add to the growth
of the town by making a dramatic venue unlike any other.
The aim was to find an innovative new design for a removable structure which will allow the castle
to be used for concerts and public performances. The competition was open internationally to
architects, designers, engineers and students of these disciplines.
Collaboration between disciplines was actively encouraged.
4 12 07 Final Pavillion winner.pdf
