An engaging image for this national cultural icon.

Inspired by the cultural sector's ambition to develop new audiences, we were delighted to work with New York practice Selldorf Architects on this project. Part of NG200, a series of capital projects which will mark the bicentenary of London’s National Gallery, Selldorf’s competition-winning scheme looks to improve the connectivity between the Sainsbury Wing and the rest of the Gallery.

Selldorf commissioned us to produce an engaging image which would communicate the project’s design development to a range of stakeholders and also support the sensitive public launch of changes to a beloved cultural icon. We explored the possibilities of traditional methods of architectural illustration to create a ‘dolls-house’ style section offering a very clear and contextualised understanding of the proposed interventions. A hybrid approach unites old and new building elements in a single image and combines photorealism with more painterly elements which themselves reflect some of the artworks on display. This complex section is cut at different depths to illustrate the Selldorf-designed spaces within the context of the whole building and demonstrate the impact on visitor circulation, stairwells and public areas within a single plane.

A highly detailed image allows for the close exploration of individual spaces, each of which reveals a story of the building in use. Hayes Davidson’s summer placement students worked with photography of the Gallery’s visitors in situ to create ‘day-in-the-life’ moments – a school visit, a research project, visitors interacting with the selfie wall – which represent the broad range of audiences engaged in the everyday use of its spaces. Instrumental in communicating design intent, the image was also easily adaptable, clearly showing revisions in response to heritage and planning issues.