Hereford City of Living Crafts Part 1 Project 2003 Edward Davies University of the West of England | UK The project explores the relationship of how an iconic building can aid an urban design strategy.The Craft Gallery is a three and four storey building joined by an atrium. This gives a new public link, to further help in the wider context of the regeneration from the east to the west corridor of Hereford.The building responds to its sensitive location using traditional materials in a modern form, together with a sustainable strategy. A laminated timber frame is revealed behind the masonry façade on Broad Street.The design produces a simple but elegant, low energy resolution. Working with a rigorously contemporary architectural language Ed has created a building which fits effortlessly into the historic core of one of England’s most relaxed and comfortable cities. The organisation is deceptively simple with galleries, shops and workspaces organised around a tall light filled space – that is more canyon than atrium. The structure is a clever reinterpretation of the traditional timber frame construction that is hidden behind so many of the neighbouring brick facades. The walls facing the narrow internal space are made with an ingenious system of interchangeable elements – windows , louvered screens, illuminated panels and doors. The street façade – the result of extensive compositional experiment – reinterprets the language of the Georgian and Victorian façades of neighbouring buildings in a manner that is both respectful and refreshing. This thoughtful building brings a touch of central Europe to the heart of England – building on an emerging tradition of architecturally adventurous interventions in Hereford.