The Clark Centre for the Arts (CCA) is a new type of civic institution designed to be a catalyst for community development and personal growth; conceived to engage its community across a diverse spectrum of social, cultural and demographic backgrounds.

The CCA brings together community and resident artists to meet, learn, and exchange knowledge where they will explore and celebrate the arts through exhibitions, workshops and public events.

The site is Guild Park and Gardens, the visionary estate of the Clark family, surrounded by sculptures and monumental artifacts salvaged from building sites in the 1970s.

The design solution is a contemporary addition set back and rotated North into the forest, away from the historic building.

A two-storey glass foyer mediates between the two structures, bringing light into the plan and access to the upper floors. The plan is compact and flexible. It includes six dedicated studios, a darkroom, seminar spaces, exhibition halls and offices.

The landscape design is an extension of the plan and includes a drop-off, a bosc, a sunken sculpture garden and meadow. The CCA is a pavilion on the edge of a forest, a place of engagement, outreach and performance designed for day and night activities throughout the seasons.