Places features

The new Firstsite building in Colchester has been under construction since July 2006. Kath Wood, the Director of Firstsite, has been talking about how the building is designed to cater for everybody.

The design - deemed controversial by some, including local MP Bob Russell, is made up of a series of arcs. There are no flat edges anywhere and it has proved a challenge for the people building it.

Constructing the building has also meant having to protect Roman remains that are located underneath the site.

When the project is complete the gallery will not only be displaying large pieces of work, but have a museum space, and auditorium that holds 200 seats, resource area which will house the Berryfield Mosaic which was taken from that site in 1923 and is now at Colchester Castle, and a restaurant.

Kath Wood says: "The building has been designed for a series of different needs whether you've got half an hour to pop in at your lunch hour, buy a card, see some work and see some art, or whether you've got the whole day to spend, we should be able to cater for both."

The new Firstsite building should be finished by the end of 2008.