Gainsborough’s House in Sudbury is the birthplace of the famous Suffolk artist Thomas Gainsborough. The project involved the renovation and refurbishment of the Grade 1 listed 16th century house, along with the existing old print workshop, an orangery style cafe, plus a new 3 storey landmark exhibition building. The project was partially funded by the National Lottery and seeks to interpret, entertain and inspire around the artist, his family and social context. The completed development displays examples of Gainsborough’s work, with the new gallery boasting a landscape studio, a community gallery and a temporary exhibition/performance space.

We provided the full mechanical, electrical and plumbing packages. As part of our scope of work, we installed a new air handling unit within the 2nd floor plantroom to supply conditioned air throughout. The environment within the galleries is managed via concealed close control units, which strictly maintain both the temperature and humidity in these sensitive areas. Chilled water is supplied via an external chiller located to the rear of the scheme.

New display lighting systems have been installed within the 16th century house. This element had to be undertaken in such a way to preserve the historic detail within the buildings. The bespoke architectural lighting designs are energy efficient and proudly showcase the period features retained within the exhibition spaces. The arrangements include a combination of recessed, suspended and linear systems. All of the lighting is controlled via Dali lighting control technology, allowing the spaces to be set up in a tailored manner to reflect the ambiance of each exhibition or event.