Colchester, a small town near London, is best known as one of the key settlements in Roman Britain; from this era many have survived there, including a rectangular grid of streets. Vignoli erected his building, in plan resembling a crescent and lined with golden panels (an alloy of aluminum and copper) within the boundaries of ancient Camulodun, and the arc firstsite, although contrary to the regular plan of the city, repeats the line of the adjacent Roman fortress wall.
The one-story extended structure was placed on a shallow foundation so as not to disturb the ancient cultural layer: among other things, the customer did not have the funds for preliminary archaeological excavations. Moreover, this is the decision of Vignoli himself: the terms of the competition assumed the construction of a multi-storey building (with a deep foundation) on a small area closer to the city center. Thanks to the decisiveness of the architect, who managed to convince the jury, firstsite acquired a completely different configuration and was located in a park, next to an 18th century garden.
Large areas of glazing on the facades make it easier to navigate inside due to the constant visual connection with the surrounding space. Also, this is served by a lowering, then an increasing level of the floor, repeating the relief of the site. In the interior, the oak floors contrast with the white stucco walls; the auditorium for 190 seats is sheathed with cherry panels. In addition to her and exhibition halls, firstsite houses research and educational centers, a restaurant, and a museum store.
Firstsite does not have its own collection: it is designed for major international exhibitions (the first, Camulodun, is dedicated to the Roman past of Colchester and combines archaeological exhibits with works by leading contemporary artists), but one object in its collection is still
The Burrifield Mosaic (c. 200 AD), found at its current location in 1923. For nearly 100 years, it was kept in the city museum, but now it has taken a key place in the halls of the firstsite.
However, the situation with the Vignoli building is far from unambiguous: the construction lasted 5 years instead of two due to the irresponsibility of the general contractor, who could not cope with the project, and the budget grew from 18 million pounds to 28 million. In addition, not everyone appreciated the "gold" plating buildings, and among the dissatisfied - both public figures and architectural critics.
N. F.
