Isabella Angus

Project overview

The Foundation is an art space shaped by the principle of Rus in Urbe — the coexistence of urban life and rural calm. Positioned beside Chichester’s civic transport hub, the project creates a transition from movement into reflection through a sequence of contrasting gallery conditions: light, darkness, and open air.

A wooden architectural model with angular forms, an opening slanted roof, and small figures, shown in front of a poster labeled “Sensory Space.”
A cardboard architectural model of a multi‑storey building with a cut‑out roof revealing a small planted courtyard inside.

Organised around an internal courtyard and restored chalk stream, the architecture uses materiality, light, and spatial compression to shape the sensory experience of art.

A brick building with tall arched openings beside a reflective pool, surrounded by flowers and soft golden light.
An exterior painting of an arched brick building beside water, lit with warm evening tones.

Locally sourced brick grounds the building within Chichester’s Georgian context, while contemporary interventions frame moments of openness, immersion, and pause. The Foundation is conceived not simply as a gallery, but as an environment where architecture alters the way art is seen, felt, and experienced. 

An interior gallery scene with tall windows, wooden floors, and artworks glowing in soft light.
An arched gallery interior with framed artworks and small figures viewing the pieces.