Issue 45 Feb 25 web - Flipbook - Page 90
The Faith Museum,
The Auckland Project
The team were appointed in 2013 following a successful competition for a masterplan of the Auckland
Castle site.
The Auckland Project, founded by philanthropist
Jonathan Ruffer, is a group of heritage attractions, galleries
and gardens in the historic town of Bishop Auckland, at
the heart of County Durham. Together these attractions
have created a new cultural destination which aims to
attract visitors and revitalise the town.
The Faith Museum, designed by Níall McLaughlin
Architects, is an extension to the Grade I listed Castle
and is sited along the line of a medieval retaining wall of
the original castle complex. It houses an exhibition of faith
in Britain and an environmentally controlled art store. It
is the result of an extensive and collaborative consultation
process with Durham County Council and Historic
England and it received a grant from the Heritage
Lottery Fund. The building type is secular but seeks to
communicate a heightened sense of the sacred to reflect
the museum’s contents. Key details, such as roof finials,
were developed to enhance a simple barn form. A picture
window on the south gable gives views out to the
parkland, enabling visitors to orientate themselves in the
world whilst on their journey through the museum. The
principal first floor exhibition space is characterised by its
lightweight, thicket-like roof structure. The building’s
simple form factor, low glazing ratio and fabric first
approach form its low carbon in-use strategy.
The external envelope is formed of a single material, Cop
Crag sandstone, quarried locally in Northumberland. The
stone is cut and laid in different ways: smooth ashlar
walling is the dominant external wall treatment with a
split-faced plinth on the east elevation and random rubble
to the loading bay; as rainscreen cladding to the steeply
pitched roof; and large pieces for details including the
projecting fins on the gable, crossing finials, lintels and
sills. The stone has a golden tone and is naturally varied
in its colour and patination with areas of delicate veining,
patterns akin to animal markings and great splashes of
pink. The building form is monolithic and it is the lively
stone that takes centre stage, providing variation and
interest.
