The Sainsbury Centre is much more than a conventional gallery, where the emphasis is on art in isolation. Instead, it integrates a number of related activities within a single, light-filled space.
The building itself brought a new level of refinement to the practices early explorations into lightweight, flexible structures. Structural and service elements are contained within the double-layer walls and roof. Within this shell is a free-flowing sequence of spaces that incorporates a conservatory reception area, coffee bar, exhibition areas, the Faculty of Fine Art, senior common rooms and a restaurant. Full-height windows at either end of the structure allow the surrounding landscape to form a backdrop to the exhibition and dining areas, while aluminum louvers, linked to light sensors, line the interior to provide an infinitely flexible system for the control of natural and artificial light. Large enough to display the Sainsburys extraordinary collection, yet designed to be intimate and inviting, the main gallery space extends the spirit of the collections originally domestic setting.
the Centre has far greater flexibility in its programming. The new wing extends the building at basement level, exploiting the natural contours of the site to emerge naturally in the form of a glazed crescent incised into the grassy bank. In 2004 a further pro gramme of improvements was initiated to provide additional display space, an internal link between the main and Crescent Wing galleries, improved shop, cafeteria and other visitor facilities, and a new education centre.
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