Caruso St John's arts centre opens in Nottingham

Nottingham Contemporary, a new arts centre in the city designed by Caruso St John, is opening this week.

The building is inspired by the surrounding Lace Market, specifically the bold, elegant design of the warehouses that serviced the city’s world famous trade in the 19th century.

Its unusual form is the outcome of building right to the edge of the irregular site (as a consequence, there is just one perfectly rectangular room in the building).

It has been constructed on what is said to be the oldest site in the city, home to a Saxon fort, a medieval Town Hall, and finally a late Victorian railway cutting.

At 3,000 square metres, Nottingham Contemporary is one of the largest contemporary art centres in the UK. It has four galleries - lit by 132 skylights – a performance and film space, a learning room, and a café.

The building, which cost £13.9m to build, appears larger on the inside than outside, since much of its north end is sunk into the sandstone cliff that runs the length of the city centre.