I hate this ever so cool nouveau habit of calling a room or building a 'space'; it's a poncey affectation that has crept into general parlance thanks to that effete tw@ from Grand Designs and other vacuous property programmes.

Space my ar5e!

It's a bloody carbuncle.

Space in this context refers to the Artist's exhibition space to display their work.

From the outside its a grey horrendous building!! Even if its fantastic inside, the outside looks as bad as all the rubbish piled up on the weir on the calder!!!

Would have to agree with you, don't like it at all, then there's Ted's flats on the other side!

Must admit, I don't mind the building itself, I just think it's in the wrong place. That and the flats spoil the Calder weir/Chantry bridge/canal views imo.

There's a few come on here with that, between the lugs!!

Let's hope Newmarket wins some awards when it finally built and to be honest looking at plans it does look like a well designed stadium not just the common flat pack we see so much of nowadays that's why I hope it gets the go ahead.

David Chipperfield has been one of the worlds hightest regarded architects for many years, he even one the sterling prize a few years back... His theory behind is work is great and anyone with any real knowledge of architecture will appreciate his work. Having said that he is the one who formally trained David Adadje ( the architect behind wakefield market).

Recently bought a book on his works and it cost me over 300 pounds... he has become quite sort after and we should be proud to have a piece of architecture that is getting worldwide respect.

Looks like it needs a good lick of paint to me.

It's a disgrace the amount of money Wakefield Council have put into that place when you see the pathetic state of sporting facilities in the City

Not really. The Hepworth will hopefully bring in visitors to the city and the surrounding district, giving the area a boost.

Back to the building, I guess the design has achieved exactly what the architect wanted, it's got people talking about it.

This building probably won't bring as many people into the City as Trinity Walk will, but it will bring people from far and wide - including internationally - and will take Wakefield a long way from being the 'Cultural Desert' it was once described as.

I would give the building a little bit of time yet. We haven't yet seen it c/w Landscaping and without the site hoardings. The setting is truly magnificent and if the surrounding area can be re-developed (I know we may have to wait a little while for that) then I think it's outline / shadows etc could be truly spectacular and unlike anything else in this country at the very least.

The only question mark I have is why, when so few of us are art buffs and so few of us spend our leisure time trapsing around galleries etc as opposed to either watching or participating sport, does this development get away with having £35m spent on it and yet the council have to be persueded to invest a fraction of that into it's sporting facilities - and even then some complain that it's too much??? Bizzare IMO.

I'm not sure that Trinity Walk is going to bring that many people into the City as there are already White Rose and Meadowhall not to far away. It may stop the people of Wakefield going to these other places but can't see it bringing many in from further afield. A really decent market like Bury is the way to get folk from all over to visit.


It will take massive development for that to happen it is in a derelict part of town. Seems a very strange location to me.



Craziness indeed sports facilities are terrible in Wakey and the council couldn't care less. Isn't there another art place up by the train station?

It gets me that they spent all this money on the Hepworth building, but seem to have completely forgotten the Yorkshire Sculpture Park.

I refer the right honourable gentleman to my previous post.

What is it that they have built at the bottom of Westgate?

They should have spent the £35m on a state of the art train station or something like that.

Do you mean the car park?

I agree, they should be renovating the station, Im sure I read somewhere that they were going to, while they're at it they can do Kirkgate as well.

If Wakefield follows the path of Leeds, Manchester etc, albeit on a smaller scale, this initial investment will precede another one fueled by the growth and potential offered by the first.

I am led to believe,that most of the funding came from grants.

If you mean at the end of the beck its just a run off under the road to a drainage tank, due to flooding problems, they knocked down the old shops and will make a park/seating area.


I don't know this for sure but it look about right from the works i've seen so far.

Agree - i'm sure i'd read, or was told, that it was supposed to be covered in old slate but they'd run out of money so had to blast the concrete to give it the same effect . Im sorry ,but in my opinion it looks cak !

It looks shocking and its at the side of a mucky river.

They must have judged it on the inside and not the outside. It looks like a concrete bunker.

Its artistic beauty that looks like a bunker

It's a statement on life in Wakefield. Superficially, it's grey and boring, but underneath the dull exterior it's vibrant and exciting.

Is it time for my tablets yet, nurse?