Alistair Hardaker | Image: Sainsbury Centre (Andy Crouch)
Refurbishment will halve building energy use through envelope alterations, photovoltaic roof panels and renewed environmental systems.
The Sainsbury Centre has received a gift of £91.2m from Lord David Sainsbury, marking one of the largest ever donations made to a UK museum.
The donation, made through Gatsby, Lord Sainsbury’s charitable foundation, will allow for the enhancement of the grade II* listed Sainsbury Centre building.
Foster + Partners is undertaking the new phase of refurbishment. Three key areas of the building will receive renovation: the envelope, its environmental systems, and some of the key visitor amenities.
Alterations to the building’s envelope are expected to halve the amount of energy required to operate the building, significantly reducing carbon emissions.
Lord Foster, Founder and Executive Chairman, Foster + Partners, said the project “will ensure that the Sainsbury Centre meets future sustainability targets – and can continue to welcome present and future generations for many decades to come.”
Photovoltaic panels will be incorporated into a new roof system to allow renewable energy to be generated on site. Aging environmental systems will also be replaced.
Renewed entrances, lifts, signage, and flooring are also planed, alongside renewed solar controlled blinds. There will also be upgrades to the bathrooms, café, kitchen, and spaces for staff, as well as an extension to the south café terrace and enhancements to the surrounding landscape.
Last year The Julia Rausing Trust pledged £150m to fund a new public wing at The National Gallery in London.
