Hauser and Wirth Names Shed Project Winner

John Hill

22. June 2015

Winning Entry from Alex Bank, Sam Casswell and Tom Graham, "The Garden Rooms" (Image: The Shed Project, courtesy of Hauser & Wirth)

Hauser & Wirth Somerset has announced that Alex Bank, Sam Casswell and Tom Graham, with their "The Garden Rooms" proposal, are the winner of the Shed Project, a competition for young architects.

The Shed Project competition, per a statement from Hauser & Wirth, "invited participants to design an original out-building to be used by creative practitioners working with the gallery as part of its residency program. The competition asked for innovative, contemporary proposals for a new concept to replace an existing out-building attached to Hauser & Wirth Somerset's artists' studios," seen below.

The existing out-building at the Maltings (Image: The Shed Project, courtesy of Hauser & Wirth)

The trio's winning scheme, titled "The Garden Room," "focuses on the synergy between the existing building, the garden and the proposed outbuilding," per the statement. Further, "By separating the outhouse from The Maltings studio building, the proposal embraces the special characteristics of outhouses and sheds; removing one's self from usual situations and intimately connecting to the outside."

Alice Workman, Director of Hauser & Wirth Somerset said the project "stood out for its modesty, yet imagination, which will allow it to be a truly inspirational place for artists."

The winner was one of seven short-listed finalists and was selected on 20 June by judges Niall Hobhouse, a writer and collector; Justin McGuirk, a journalist, critic and curator; and Richard Wentworth, an artist and former professor of sculpture at the Royal College of Art. The panel was chaired by Edward Workman, Director of Global Property, Hauser & Wirth.

Alex Bank, Sam Casswell and Tom Graham will receive an honorarium of £1,000 and will be given a budget of £25,000 for materials and construction to realize "The Garden Rooms."

Winning Entry from Alex Bank, Sam Casswell and Tom Graham, "The Garden Rooms" (Image: The Shed Project, courtesy of Hauser & Wirth)

Alex Bank is completing his Examination in Professional Practice in Architecture RIBA Part 3 at London Metropolitan University and is employed by the Architecture Research Unit, London.

Sam Casswell completed his Examination in Professional Practice in Architecture RIBA Part 3 at London Metropolitan University and is employed by Caruso St John Architects, London.

Tom Graham is a carpenter and furniture maker who founded the Tom Graham Workshop, London in 2009. He previously completed his Professional Diploma in Architecture / RIBA Part 2 at London Metropolitan University.