Exchange Place

Year: 2022

Client: Yorkshire Artspace

Yorkshire Artspace is a pioneer in the arts and community led regeneration of Castlegate, providing space for 80 artists in Exchange Place Studios, an Art Deco building adjacent to the Castle site. This project explores a new vision for Exchange Place Studios through 1:1 prototypes, design explorations and installations. In collaboration with Yorkshire Artspace and studio artists, the Live Project group worked to create a high quality working environment for the production of art, building a sense of place and creating connections not only within Castlegate but also within the wider art community in Sheffield. The project sets out a new architectural vision and identity that can be applied in the short, medium and long term for Exchange Place Studios. It explores ideas such as wayfinding, increasing natural light levels and enhancing its connection to the surrounding area. Our ideas were informed by frequent exchanges with artists which allowed us to create a vision that directly answered the users’ needs.

At its heart, the work celebrates artists and craftsmanship, placing their processes and work at the forefront of the design. Inspired by the artists, the project incorporates their process and methods into new architectural methods and spatial exploration. Most importantly, Exchange Place Studios is a hub for the exchange of ideas, knowledge and artistic practices.

As part of a final exhibition the team presented a new vision for Exchange Place Studios through a range of mediums: 1:1 examples of the proposed design, models, drawings and projections. The installation activated the basement carpark, a previously unused space, and provided a platform to showcase the architectural proposals to stakeholders. It also created a space to look to the future of Castlegate and Exchange Place, with the goal of showing how the long-term vision can be implemented. 

Yorkshire Artspace are keen to implement these ideas and, since the success of the Live Project's demonstration of how the basement could be used, the space has become a regular venue for the artists to showcase their work. 

https://liveprojects.ssoa.info/2023/exchange-place/

In collaboration with: Yorkshire Artspace and artists at Exchange Place Studios

Mentor: Carolyn Butterworth

Students: Scott Mckenzie, Flora Sallis-Chandler, Emily Ronayne, Sebastian Slater, Bethan Mullard, Jessica Meech, Luke J Alcock, Wei Bai, Zichen Ye, Xiping Hua, Chiehlu Chen.