Gagosian Grosvenor Hill

The brief from Gagosian Gallery was to create a contemporary space suitable for use as their main London gallery. The building, which is situated in central Mayfair and forms part of the Grosvenor Estate, occupies the whole ground floor podium and slab of a 1960s residential building.

The 19,400 ft² gallery is located in the podium area and consists of two large rectangular galleries connected by two smaller squarer galleries to form a tight cluster of rooms. The design incorporates high ceilings and large floorplates, uninterrupted by columns. The galleries are lit with artificial light from a translucent glass laylight that fills the central area of the ceilings, and an unusual dark oak floor adds to the contemporary look. The slab above was converted into additional smaller private galleries and viewing rooms along with office space.

The building sits on a restricted site between a multi-storey basement car park and a residential tower. Significant structural and internal modifications to the existing podium were therefore required to deliver a world-class gallery.

Gagosian Grosvenor Hill received a RIBA Award.