Lapse in design
Sir: Gavin Stamp (11 September), while rightly pointing to Arup Associates's dignified facade as the only reasonable pro- posal so far for the building on the site ad- joining Wilkins's National Gallery, fails to mention an unfortunate lapse in design. The top-lit galleries, which appear on the model as debased Bramante, with flattened cupolas, are unsuitable for the display of paintings. Although, no doubt, thought by the designers to give an appropriate Renaissance effect, paintings could not be adequately viewed in daylight in such a con- figuration. Perhaps an indication that a competitive brief is no substitute for prior consultation. Re-design would remedy a fault, which might otherwise rule out an ac- ceptable building.
H. Lank
Dodsdown, Wilton, Marlborough, Wiltshire
Previous page
