The building of the School of Art and Design was completed in the early 1970s. At that time it was the largest purpose built art college in Europe. Since its opening there have been numerous changes, extensions and developments to the building that have gradually obscured the original vision. With this in mind, Somerset College wishes to establish a new vision for the building, one that will sustainably benefit our future students and staff and the wider community that it serves.
A consultation process began in the last academic year to receive a commentary from both students and staff to respond to the question “What would you like to see changed, added, refurbished or left alone within the Art and Design building?”
The resulting commentary informed the competition brief that invited interest from architectural teams nationally. Forty architectural practises expressed their interest in working with Somerset College, and six exemplary practices where shortlisted and asked to make outline proposals for the reconfiguration of the Art and Design building.
The brief asked the architectural teams to consider how contemporary art and design subjects are taught and how the integration of spaces inform the experiences of students staff and visitors to the college.