South London Gallery Fire Station, Camberwell

 

This sensitive conversion of an 1867 fire station has reinvented the building, giving it a new lease of life as a light-filled, inclusive art gallery.  New spaces are true to the layout and character of the original building, which once also housed firemen and their families. The impressive entrance space was achieved by the clever decision to remove floors, allowing it to be opened up and top-lit.  A beautifully crafted metal and concrete stair makes sophisticated reference to original features. Sensitively inserted, it brings unity to the gallery. The detailing, including new ventilation slots in the timber floors, has been meticulously considered, with careful enhancement of historic features. Removal of the upper level ceiling creates a lofty studio for the artist in residence. The result is a building of  true elegance and seeming effortlessness.