Reimagining the Welcome Centre at Compton Verney

URSS Design Brief

Project Title: Reimagining the Welcome Centre at Compton Verney

Partner: Compton Verney Art Gallery

Audience: Undergraduate researchers (URSS, University of Warwick)

Project Overview

Compton Verney is a historic art gallery and landscape park that welcomes a wide range of visitors. The Welcome Centre is the very first point of contact for most visitors and plays a crucial role in shaping expectations, comfort, and curiosity.

This project invites students to explore how the Welcome Centre and in particular, the area beyond the sales desk, could be redesigned to enhance the visitor journey from the moment of arrival. The focus is on playful interactions, inclusive design, increased engagement and digital interventions that help visitors feel welcomed, orientated, and connected to Compton Verney’s collections, stories, and evolving identity. Students will investigate how spatial, digital, and narrative design approaches could transform the Welcome Centre into an engaging threshold between the outside world and the gallery experience.

Current area beyond sales desk

Aims of the Project

To explore how design can shape first impressions and visitor confidence
To investigate inclusive and welcoming approaches for diverse audiences
To consider how playful and digital interactions can support learning and curiosity
To connect the Welcome Centre more meaningfully with the wider site and collections

Key Design Focus Areas

1. The Visitor Journey

How does the Welcome Centre currently function as an entry point?
What emotions, expectations, or uncertainties might visitors bring with them?
How could the space better support orientation, anticipation, and comfort?

2. Playful Interactions

How might play encourage exploration, discovery, or conversation?
Can playful elements lower barriers for visitors who may feel unfamiliar with art galleries?
What forms might play take (physical, social, digital, narrative)?

3. Digital Interventions

How could digital technology enhance rather than overwhelm the space?
How might digital tools introduce visitors to artworks, themes, or stories located further away in the main gallery?
Could digital experiences be personalised, responsive, or participatory?

Research Questions (Students may address some or all)

Storytelling & History

What stories could be told in the Welcome Centre to reflect a broader cross-section of Compton Verney’s development, (e.g. architectural, social, cultural, community-led)?
What storytelling methods (digital, spatial, participatory, sensory) might be most effective in this context?

Inclusion & Audience Development

How can the Welcome Centre feel more inclusive and welcoming to audiences who may not see traditional art galleries as “for them”?
How might design acknowledge different ages, cultures, access needs, and levels of art knowledge? Who could be consulted and involved ?

Connection to the Collections

How could digital technology link visitors more immediately to collections and/ or temporary exhibitions and sculptures in the main gallery buildings and grounds ?
Could previews, interactive narratives, or digital “teasers” encourage deeper engagement later in the visit?

Identity & First Impressions

What should visitors understand or feel about Compton Verney within the first few minutes of arrival?
How can the Welcome Centre reflect both heritage and contemporary relevance?

Suggested Outputs

Students may produce one or more of the following:

Concept sketches or spatial diagrams
Experience maps or visitor journey narratives
Digital interaction concepts or prototypes
Research insights and design recommendations
Speculative proposals supported by research

Outcome

The project aims to generate fresh ideas, research insights, and speculative design proposals that could inform future thinking at Compton Verney. The emphasis is on research-led exploration, not polished final designs.