Gainsborough's House Museum

by ZMMA

Client Gainsborough's House

Awards RIBA East Award 2024, RIBA East Conservation Award 2024, and RIBA East Building of the Year 2024 (sponsored by EH Smith)

This transformative project has seen a significant regional and national museum emerge from the adaptation of what was previously a small, local resource. The focus of the museum is the historic home of 18th century artist Thomas Gainsborough in Sudbury, Suffolk. Not only has the project conserved this Grade I listed house, but it has also provided exhibition galleries and supporting facilities through a combination of adjacent historical buildings and new structures. Together, the modifications have allowed the museum to double its visitor numbers, increase its community engagement, and secure its future within the precarious climate faced by arts institutions in the post-Covid world. All this has been achieved with great ingenuity and a sensitivity to detail and materials selection, which is all the more remarkable given the relatively constrained budget for such an extensive and complex programme.

Read the full citation from the RIBA Awards Jury on RIBA Journal

Contractors Thomas Sinden

Quantity Surveyor / Cost Consultant PT Projects

Structural Engineer Eckersley O'Callaghan

Environmental / M&E Engineer QODA

Lighting Design Sutton Vane Associates

Project Management Artelia UK

Gross internal area in m² 2,065