Shortlisted in the CULTURE category
The Crafts Council is the national development agency for contemporary craft in the UK. They want craft to be accessible to everyone, to inspire new makers and start new conversations. For the past 15 years they have focused on developing national initiatives with partner organizations, without a space of their own. In 2017 they appointed AOC to retrofit Claremont Chapel to create a new home for craft. 

The Grade II listed building first opened in 1819 as a congregational chapel but has since enjoyed a diversity of uses, from Victorian Mission House to 1960s dental equipment showroom. The project redevelops the ground floor to provide a new contemporary gallery, study area, library housing 5,000 publications, public lobby and forecourt. The design evolves the neutrality of the white cube gallery by introducing the tactile qualities of natural materials and new uses to create a hybrid public space.

Vote for this project in the ‘People’s Choice Award’. The voting deadline is 1 November 2022.