The Henry Moore Foundation – celebrating 40 years this year, with a series of special events – has unveiled its redeveloped estate, Dane Tree House, in Hertfordshire. The Foundation is housed in Moore’s former home and studios in Perry Green, a 70-acre site with landscaped gardens designed by Moore’s wife, Irina Moore.
The new buildings – including a new library, cafe, shop and archive facility – were executed by British firm, Hugh Broughton Architects. The design ‘maximises views of Moore’s sculptures, set in the gardens’, says Hugh Broughton, with generous glass giving onto the rural surroundings, a landscape in which Moore found considerable inspiration for his works, and where sculptures such such as Sheep Piece (1971-72) and Reclining Figure: Draped 1952-53) are now displayed.
The buildings are designed to increase the views of the Henry Moore sculptures in the grounds and gardens designed by Moore’s wife, Irina Moore
The Foundation reopened for the Easter weekend with an exhibition, ‘Becoming Henry Moore’, that goes back to the beginning, reviewing the artist’s early work and inspiration, which he found not only in the undulating curves of the countryside, but in artists like Picasso, Hepworth, Michelangelo and Epstein – all on view until October, alongside rare works by Moore himself, such as a collection of drawings from the 1920s that clearly show his singular style emerging.
Having already completed renovations on the sculpture stores at the Foundation in 2011, Hugh Broughton’s latest developments will improve the scope of the Foundation. Other major improvements include an extension to the library, revamped with oxidised steel panels, that also address the optimum storage conditions needed to safely store the Foundation’s valuable books, documents, and photographs.
There’s an emphasis throughout the design too on sustainability; a shared ground source heat pump will cool and warm the two buildings, and the use of timber implies aesthetic harmony and neutrality, in the same way Moore’s sculptures serenely inhabit the outdoors. Working with demanding atmospheres and unusual environments is something London-based Hugh Broughton are particularly good at – the firm is behind the award-winning Halley VI British Antarctic Research Station and the Juan Carlos I Antarctic Research Station (which is currently in construction).
The Henry Moore Foundation celebrates 40 years this year
Hugh Broughton Architects completed renovations on the sculpture stores at the Henry Moore Foundation in 2011
The new structures house a new library, cafe, shop and archive facility
The shop opens up to the cafe which overlooks the grounds of the Foundation
Oxidised steel panels clad the extended library and archive building
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Hugh Broughton Architects website and the Henry Moore Foundation website
ADDRESS
Henry Moore Studios & Gardens
Dane Tree House
Perry Green
Herts SG10 6EE
-
This nostalgic exhibition dives into a century of British surfingCornwall's National Maritime Museum charts the history of waveriding on England's south coast
-
Waiheke Island is a must-visit for oenophiles and aesthetes alikeDiscover what to do during this New Zealand destination's annual Walking Festival and beyond
-
Bold colours and tactile textures: inside Bottega Veneta's second fine jewellery dropThe collection is composed of two parts: Enlaced and Alchemy
-
Showing off its gargoyles and curves, The Gradel Quadrangles opens in OxfordThe Gradel Quadrangles, designed by David Kohn Architects, brings a touch of playfulness to Oxford through a modern interpretation of historical architecture
-
A Norfolk bungalow has been transformed through a deft sculptural remodellingNorth Sea East Wood is the radical overhaul of a Norfolk bungalow, designed to open up the property to sea and garden views
-
A new concrete extension opens up this Stoke Newington house to its gardenArchitects Bindloss Dawes' concrete extension has brought a considered material palette to this elegant Victorian family house
-
A former garage is transformed into a compact but multifunctional spaceA multifunctional, compact house by Francesco Pierazzi is created through a unique spatial arrangement in the heart of the Surrey countryside
-
A 1960s North London townhouse deftly makes the transition to the 21st CenturyThanks to a sensitive redesign by Studio Hagen Hall, this midcentury gem in Hampstead is now a sustainable powerhouse.
-
Manchester United and Foster + Partners to build a new stadium: ‘Arguably the largest public space in the world’The football club will spend £2 billion on the ambitious project, which co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has described as the ‘world's greatest football stadium’
-
'Bold and unapologetic', this contemporary Wimbledon home replaces a 1970s house on siteThis grey-brick Wimbledon home by McLaren Excell is a pairing of brick and concrete, designed to be mysterious
-
The little-known story of Welsh modernism'Cabin Crew', a new book published this spring by The Modernist, brings the spotlight to Cardiff-based practice Hird & Brooks
