Capital Case Study: Rivington Place Shoreditch

Capital case study: Rivington Place Shoreditch, London Borough of Hackney 1 Contents 7 Planning and project development Capital case study: 2 Executive summary 8 Design and delivery 3 Project background and history 9 Opening the new gallery Rivington Place 4 The company 10 The gallery in operation Shoreditch, Hackney 5 Vital statistics 11 Wider lessons 6 Rationale for the project 12 Credits 1 Contents

2 Executive summary 3 Project background and history 4 The company 5 Vital statistics 6 Rationale for the project 7 Planning and project development 8 Design and delivery 9 Opening the new gallery 10 The gallery in operation 11 Wider lessons 12 Credits 1 Contents 7 Planning and project development Capital case study: 2 Executive summary 8 Design and delivery 3 Project background and history 9 Opening the new gallery Rivington Place 4 The company 10 The gallery in operation Shoreditch, Hackney 5 Vital statistics 11 Wider lessons 6 Rationale for the project 12 Credits Executive summary

Rivington Place is a new gallery in The total cost of the project was just Hackney, east London, housing two under £8 million. It was funded by organisations: Iniva and Autograph. grants from the Arts Council Lottery Both are dedicated to the development Capital programme, Barclays Trust, and presentation of black visual arts the London Borough of Hackney, LDA at a national and international level. (London Development Authority), Designed by award-winning architect ERDF (European Regional Development David Adjaye, the building opened to Fund) and the City Fringe Partnership critical acclaim in October 2007. development programme.

The gallery has two multi-media exhibition rooms, offices for Iniva and Autograph, work units let to local creative organisations, an education space and the Stuart Hall reference library (named after the eminent academic and broadcaster who championed the project from the outset.) 1 Contents 7 Planning and project development Capital case study: 2 Executive summary 8 Design and delivery 3 Project background and history 9 Opening the new gallery Rivington Place 4 The company 10 The gallery in operation Shoreditch, Hackney 5 Vital statistics 11 Wider lessons 6 Rationale for the project 12 Credits Project background and history

Rivington Place is the first new-build Autograph ABP (Association of Black public art gallery to be opened in Photographers) was founded in 1988 London for 40 years. More significantly, to produce, exhibit, publish and it is the first time in the UK that a space promote the work of photographers has been created that is dedicated to and artists from culturally diverse the development and presentation of backgrounds in exhibition, training, the culturally diverse arts. commerce and publishing. In common with Iniva, Autograph works nationally Iniva (the Institute of International and internationally, collaborating Visual Arts) was founded in 1993 with gallery, museum and education with a mission to create exhibitions, institutions – and increasingly with publications, multi-media, education international partners. and research projects, designed to bring the work of artists from culturally With support from Arts Council diverse backgrounds to the attention England’s Lottery Capital programme, of the widest possible public. Iniva the two organisations came together to works with national and international plan a significant new arts project. Each partners in curating exhibitions, had its own board but they shared a publishing, commissioning new work common chair in Professor Stuart Hall, and maintaining an extensive library of renowned for his work as a cultural books, slides, and videos on worldwide academic, broadcaster and writer, and artists and cultures. this proved crucial to the success of the project. 1 Contents 7 Planning and project development Capital case study: 2 Executive summary 8 Design and delivery 3 Project background and history 9 Opening the new gallery Rivington Place 4 The company 10 The gallery in operation Shoreditch, Hackney 5 Vital statistics 11 Wider lessons 6 Rationale for the project 12 Credits The company

In 1998, the directors of Autograph a franchised café facility, welcoming and Iniva forged an alliance to address visitors, and renting out space when the need for a permanent base for the it is not required by the two main two agencies and their constituencies, organisations as well as the day-to-day setting up a new company, Sense of smooth running of all aspects of Place (SOP) to take responsibility for the building. securing the site, signing the lease, raising funds and overseeing the capital No rents or service charges are levied project. The company was chaired by by Sense of Place on the two main Professor Stuart Hall, providing the link organisations. Instead income and between the two organisations at board expenditure is allocated between the level. SOP now has a continuing role in two organisations in proportions based overseeing the running of the building on their differing use of dedicated and its day-to-day management spaces (offices, library, multi-media and as a venue. Both organisations are interactive spaces) resulting in a split of represented on the SOP board. 77 per cent to Iniva and 23 per cent to Autograph. The management company The building is referred to as Rivington is financed by the income from the Place, as its site runs along the length café franchise and from rentals and of the passageway bearing this name. hires. Any shortfall is met by Iniva and The two main organisations, Iniva Autograph (77 per cent and 23 per cent and Autograph, provide all the arts respectively). Where profits occur, they activities. They are serviced by the will be also be shared between Iniva and centre-management company, Sense of Autograph. The structure was carefully Place (trading as Rivington Place) with researched, with pro-bono advice being a core staff – a centre manager, a head given by a leading financial consultancy, of operations and house, and a team to provide the most tax-efficient of admin/receptionists. The head of method of operating while safeguarding operations is responsible for maintaining the two arts organisations and the the building and its services, including investment made in the building. 1 Contents 7 Planning and project development Capital case study: 2 Executive summary 8 Design and delivery 3 Project background and history 9 Opening the new gallery Rivington Place 4 The company 10 The gallery in operation Shoreditch, Hackney 5 Vital statistics 11 Wider lessons 6 Rationale for the project 12 Credits Vital statistics

• initial project planning began Hackney Council £100,000 Key Iniva and Autograph personnel in 2002 LDA (London Development (for the development) • work started on site in February Association) £91,000 2006 was completed in June 2007, City Fringe Partnership £231,000 Chair, Sense of Place (70-week construction period) Professor Stuart Hall • project costs totalled just under Design and project management team Director, Iniva £8 million, of which the Gilane Tawadros construction costs accounted for Architect Artistic director, Autograph £4.4 million and site acquisition Adjaye Associates costs totalled £1.3 million. Gross Mark Sealy floor area 1,445m2 Business and financial Project manager (coordination) VAT amounted to £530,000 DTZ Paul Brookes • design team was appointed Project manager Project manager (construction) through OJEC [Official Journal Bucknall Austin Peter Clack of the European Community] Service engineer Autograph Board members competitive procedures Michael Popper Associates • procurement route – initially Ron Henocq traditional JCT (Joint Contracts Structural engineer Rosemary Miles Tribunal) contract, revised following Techniker Paula Kahn the completion of the RIBA Stage D Main contractor Independent Chair, Sense of Place to a fixed price contract negotiated Blenheim House Construction Ken Dytor with shortlist of contractors PR and marketing Kalloway Main sources of funding Fundraising Arts Council England £5.97 million Series of short-term contracts Barclays £1.1 million Financial planning ERDF (European Regional DTZ Development Fund) £172,702 1 Contents 7 Planning and project development Capital case study: 2 Executive summary 8 Design and delivery 3 Project background and history 9 Opening the new gallery Rivington Place 4 The company 10 The gallery in operation Shoreditch, Hackney 5 Vital statistics 11 Wider lessons 6 Rationale for the project 12 Credits Rationale for the project

Having at first looked in Peckham, The location also offered funding south London, Iniva and Autograph opportunities. The City Fringe soon decided to find a site or building in Partnership, which covers an area to Hackney. The reasons for this are many the north and east of the ‘Square Mile’, and, in retrospect, it was the obvious is committed to increasing economic choice of location. and social inclusion by encouraging the growth of the creative industries, • this area of London’s East End strengthening social care, and forging has particular cultural and historical links between the rapidly developing importance as a gateway for commercial sector and the successive generations of migrants local community. • by the fifth anniversary of the opening, Hackney will be drawing in visitors from across the world for the 2012 Olympics • studies had shown that Iniva and Autograph draw their audience from media and visual arts specialists (artists, teachers, students, writers) as well as individuals and groups within the culturally diverse communities on which its work is focused • by establishing a base in this area, Autograph and Iniva are able to claim their position at the forefront of the arts alongside the Whitechapel Art Gallery, White Cube, and numerous small galleries and studios 1 Contents 7 Planning and project development Capital case study: 2 Executive summary 8 Design and delivery 3 Project background and history 9 Opening the new gallery Rivington Place 4 The company 10 The gallery in operation Shoreditch, Hackney 5 Vital statistics 11 Wider lessons 6 Rationale for the project 12 Credits

Planning and project development (part 1)

Sense of Place (SOP) was initially The search for a vacant site or building quality building and direct professional advised to work with a developer as continued, undertaken with the help of responsibility, the traditional route of this was seen as the best way for a estate agents and other contacts. The the architect-led team was selected small organisation with limited financial rented offices where Iniva was based at as the best option. The preferred resources to deliver a building project. the time were next to the old Shoreditch architects, Adjaye Associates, had been Negotiations were opened for a site in Town Hall and separated from it by a working on the Brick Lane project but east London’s Brick Lane, where the strip of vacant land used for parking SOP had to repeat the OJEU [Official new gallery would be part-financed cars – the former town hall’s car park. Journal of the European Union] process by a housing development. Initially Enquiries established that the freehold (using the negotiated procedure on the the potential partnership worked well was held by Hackney Council, but that basis of best value for money) before it but as the plans developed it became the current occupancy was subject to a could reappoint them for the Rivington increasingly apparent that more and complicated set of sub-leases. SOP was Place development. more restrictions were being imposed able to unravel these sub-leases and by the developer, limiting SOP’s future successfully agreed a price for the site To progress the project, SOP set autonomy and restricting what the and exchange of contracts, submitting up a project management team organisation would be able to achieve. a planning application to Hackney for comprising the two directors (Iniva and After two years, SOP decided to move an independent scheme on the site, Autograph), two finance people and on, sacrificing £45,000 of associated designed by their appointed architects, three appointees, selected for their costs as well as considerable time and Adjaye Associates. The cost of site relevant skills. Two important new staff energy. The exercise had, however, acquisition was £1,275,875. appointments were made: served to clarify their objectives, set the size and scale of the provision required, Throughout the early stages of the • a project manager with lay the business foundation for the development SOP was supported by administrative skills to coordinate project, and provide indicative costings. DTZ (an internationally recognised the whole of the capital A great deal of pro-bono work had also company of real estate specialists) development been undertaken to establish the most who subsequently advised the Board • a construction based project tax-effective way of structuring the to bring in Bucknall Austin (property manager (part-time) to oversee the new organisation. and construction consultants) to guide design and building work on behalf it through the procurement process. of SOP Because of the desire for a high- 1 Contents 7 Planning and project development Capital case study: 2 Executive summary 8 Design and delivery 3 Project background and history 9 Opening the new gallery Rivington Place 4 The company 10 The gallery in operation Shoreditch, Hackney 5 Vital statistics 11 Wider lessons 6 Rationale for the project 12 Credits

Planning and project development (part 2)

Arts Council England released money Another major source of worry during to develop the project and to help this stage was VAT. The controversial secure the site. All the necessary ‘London Zoo ruling’ had not then been funding was released upfront to allow resolved and it proved impossible for the purchase to happen quickly – a SOP to get a definitive ruling on what move that was very much appreciated their liability was likely to be, despite by SOP. Raising the additional money experienced consultancy advice, that was needed before work could frequent requests for a decision, and start proved a major hurdle for the two two government ministers writing to organisations. Approaches through HM Revenue and Customs asking for ‘the usual channels’ had secured many the matter to be resolved. millions for some of the prestigious projects (national institutions) that were fundraising at the same time, but when SOP followed the same route all its efforts came to nothing. The situation was saved when Barclays agreed to donate £1 million. The initial contact came out of the blue, the result of a chance conversation with a taxi driver who knew someone he thought might help. 1 Contents 7 Planning and project development Capital case study: 2 Executive summary 8 Design and delivery 3 Project background and history 9 Opening the new gallery Rivington Place 4 The company 10 The gallery in operation Shoreditch, Hackney 5 Vital statistics 11 Wider lessons 6 Rationale for the project 12 Credits

Design and delivery (part 1)

Following the completion of RIBA Council of £500,000 helped to close the • abortive fees on Brick Lane Stage D and the appointment of gap. Barclays added a further £100,000 £45,000 the capital project director, Bucknall and work started on site. • client costs £720,000 Austin drew up a procurement model • VAT £530,000 in which the Quantity Surveyor and Summary of design and building • total project budget £7,966,000 CDM (Construction, Design and programme Management) adviser were to be The completed building contains: appointed directly. Contractors were • work started on site short-listed using OJEU accelerated February 2006 • two project spaces capable of negotiated procedure (the selection • building work completed housing exhibition, film screenings being made on the lowest price) and June 2007 and talks four were invited to tender for the job. • iniva and Autograph moved in • the Stuart Hall Library July 2007 • an education space The contractors all responded with • opened to the public • meeting rooms sums considerably more than the October 2007 • a café original budget, giving a projected • workspaces for local creative cost over-run of £1.2 million. The Summary of capital costs businesses design team then embarked on a • offices for Iniva and Autograph value engineering exercise with the • land acquisition (including surveys, favoured contractors to explore ways building control and planning) in which the costs could be reduced. £1,340,000 Modifications included in-situ concrete replacing pre-cast, rationalisation of the • construction £4,400,000 suspended floor design to use more • additional work post-contract traditional construction methods, and £35,000 changing the ventilation system from • loose fittings, furniture and natural to mechanical. The contract equipment £125,000 sum was reduced by £400,000 and a • IT £85,000 supplementary award from the Arts • project team fees £650,000 1 Contents 7 Planning and project development Capital case study: 2 Executive summary 8 Design and delivery 3 Project background and history 9 Opening the new gallery Rivington Place 4 The company 10 The gallery in operation Shoreditch, Hackney 5 Vital statistics 11 Wider lessons 6 Rationale for the project 12 Credits

Design and delivery (part 2)

The impact of the new gallery belies the The scale is also deceptive – with size of the site, creating a far greater eight rows of windows relating to five street presence than might be expected. storeys of building. The dimensions (The dimensions of the building are of the openings change, widening 11.4m by 35m, on a site measuring along the length of Rivington Place a total of 513m2.) Two sides of the and shortening towards the top of the building are immediately visible – the building. The architect, David Adjaye, narrow facade onto Rivington Street commented: ‘It’s a building that appears and the main frontage along the cul- to increase its volume from one end de-sac from which the gallery takes its of the site to the other – the geometry name. These present a chequer-board is adjusting, its form compressed – it’s effect, with deeply recessed windows about how you look, and then how and glossy black aluminium panels set you find something, and how that into the dark pre-cast concrete grid, a something is not as you first thought’. matrix of perforations. In the daytime, the panels reflect the light as if they The interior spaces with the white were glass, giving an ambiguity to the walls, smooth surfaces and clear exterior of the building. lines provide a sophisticated frame, giving precedence to the activities and exhibitions they are designed to house. The windows, seemingly arbitrary on the outside, relate well to the interior spaces – lighting the library at a high level and providing flexibility for the main galleries. The larger rooms can be used for a range of visual arts and media – as video walls in a darkened space open to allow art works to be seen in natural light. 1 Contents 7 Planning and project development Capital case study: 2 Executive summary 8 Design and delivery 3 Project background and history 9 Opening the new gallery Rivington Place 4 The company 10 The gallery in operation Shoreditch, Hackney 5 Vital statistics 11 Wider lessons 6 Rationale for the project 12 Credits Opening the new gallery

Iniva and Autograph began to move The opening weeks had been carefully One of the strategies employed was into the offices as soon as the building organised. They formed a crucial part to engage influential people as active was completed. The first areas to of the marketing and PR plan which ambassadors for the project, raising be opened to the public were the had been developing since autumn the profile and developing a sphere education spaces, the Stuart Hall Library 2004 (regularly monitored at the weekly of influence amongst key opinion (which takes up much of the second meetings of the Rivington Place project formers. A core group of key media floor) and the café at street level (to the management team) and contributed spokespeople was established with each rear of the building, spilling out into towards what Iniva and Autograph were identified as representing a different Rivington Place). aiming to achieve during their first year. aspect of the project. The reputation The aims can be summarised as: of David Adjaye, in both the arts and The formal opening was held on 3 • ensuring that the widest possible the architectural world meant that the October 2007, attended by many of public are aware of this unique new building was eagerly awaited by the funders, ambassadors, artists, new venue the press specialising in these fields. PR partners, and supporters of Iniva and • engaging new audiences – local, consultants, Kalloway, were brought Autograph over the previous 20 years national and international in to coordinate press and media of their existence. Two days later saw • building on the existing coverage. Their final report states that the opening of the inaugural exhibition relationships of the two as well as TV and radio coverage, 85 London is the Place for Me, curated organisations articles were written, appearing in 16 by both organisations – Autograph • enhancing community relations countries and reaching an estimated in Project Space 1 and Iniva in Project audience of 15 million people. Space 2. 1 Contents 7 Planning and project development Capital case study: 2 Executive summary 8 Design and delivery 3 Project background and history 9 Opening the new gallery Rivington Place 4 The company 10 The gallery in operation Shoreditch, Hackney 5 Vital statistics 11 Wider lessons 6 Rationale for the project 12 Credits The gallery in operation

The two organisations remain separate Rivington Place was, however, designed entities. As planned, the venue is being to generate some additional income. managed by a small core team while The two ‘start-up’ spaces were both events and activities are promoted by let within a few months of opening Iniva and Autograph. and the café has been successfully franchised (to a local establishment Rivington Place costs around £300,000 with kitchen facilities which enable it a year to run. As envisaged, both to provide a more extensive range of organisations continue to be dependent freshly-prepared food). on public funding for a large proportion of their costs. The largest amount During the opening period, the building comes from Arts Council England, received far more publicity than that which set up a new one-year funding given to the exhibitions and other agreement in 2008/20009. This will be activities but six months after opening, negotiated for two further years based visits to the exhibitions were running on the following formula: at about 3,000 a month and were continuing to attract good coverage • Autograph receives £359,251 for in the press. All the rentable spaces 08/09 with inflation-linked were being let to full capacity. Having increases of 2.7 per cent in reached this point, the directors and 2009/10 and 2010/11 their teams were looking forward to • Iniva receives £988,323 for some ‘blue-sky’ time to concentrate on 2008/09 with inflation linked the programmes, fundraise for activities increases of 2.7 per cent in rather than for capital and enjoy their 2009/10 and 2010/11 hard-earned asset. 1 Contents 7 Planning and project development Capital case study: 2 Executive summary 8 Design and delivery 3 Project background and history 9 Opening the new gallery Rivington Place 4 The company 10 The gallery in operation Shoreditch, Hackney 5 Vital statistics 11 Wider lessons 6 Rationale for the project 12 Credits Wider lessons

One of the key factors in SOP’s success Money raised from public bodies always Reflecting on the experience, Mark was the willingness of Iniva and comes with strings attached. While Sealy of Autograph concluded: Autograph to seek and take advice, Iniva and Autograph appreciated the identifying design and management help they received from individual ‘Developing a building and running a day- consultants recognised as being officers and monitors, the systems they to-day programme was the biggest mistake amongst the best in their field. The operated under often proved over- we made. It would have been better to scale SOP board also contained a mix of demanding. For example, EU funding down the operation and focus fully on the experienced individuals from different is bound into specific outcomes at building.’ skill areas. each stage and has cut-off dates. A lengthy delay in HM Customs and www.rivingtonplace.org Despite taking best advice the Excise providing a ruling on VAT also project initially came in over budget, served to increase the pressures. (About demonstrating that cost projection six months before completion, SOP within the building industry is far from eventually established that the rate an exact science. The fact that SOP would be between 46 per cent and 49 got through these difficulties owes per cent). much to the high levels of competence within the board and the staff teams The impact the capital project had on who stayed calm and remained loyal the day-to-day activities of the two throughout the difficult periods. organisations was enormous and the This, together with the leadership of directors considered that the money Professor Stuart Hall, was crucial in they were given by the Arts Council maintaining both the impetus of the for capacity building and technical project and the quality of the end assistance was inadequate to provide product. Once the budget was finally the amount of consultancy required. fixed, the contract was delivered on They also felt that they themselves time and on budget. would have benefited from a period of intensive training, funded sufficiently to allow them to bring in additional help to manage the ongoing work. 1 Contents 7 Planning and project development Capital case study: 2 Executive summary 8 Design and delivery 3 Project background and history 9 Opening the new gallery Rivington Place 4 The company 10 The gallery in operation Shoreditch, Hackney 5 Vital statistics 11 Wider lessons 6 Rationale for the project 12 Credits Credits

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Research: Judith Strong Photos: Ed Reeve