The Novium, Chichester’s new museum which opened to
the public 8 July 2012, is the culmination of a 10 year endeavour by the
Council, to replace the city’s former museum, with a new building that would
more effectively display the breadth of its collection. Designed by Keith
Williams Architects after winning the 2007 RIBA design competition, the Novium,
located in Tower Street in line sight of the city’s cathedral, is at 1,300 m2
is 2.5 times larger than its predecessor, a small cellular 18th Century
building elsewhere in the city.
The unique aspect of the project, centred on the presence of substantial archaeological remains
of the city’s Roman baths. The Novium spans these remains (the hypocaust) which
have been incorporated in situ into
the main entrance hall gallery as a permanent part of the museum.
The museum contains galleries over a further two floors,
supported by education spaces, restoration, research and staff areas.
The new public galleries are
linked by a processional stair culminating with views across the city to the
cathedral, at the building’s highest level. The Novium has been clad in
pale reconstructed stone whilst the interior surfaces of the museum are made in
fair faced concrete. The architects spent much time researching and testing the
concrete mix options. Silver granite aggregates were used with silver grey
granite fines, the surfaces of which were brushed to achieve a subtle sparkle
to the concrete surfaces.The Novium is in the
out-turn, an elegant new insertion into an historic city fabric which successfully resolves
contemporary architectural expression within a mature historic city.
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