David Chipperfield's Hepworth Gallery takes shape in Wakefield

The architect describes the gallery as being formed from a conglomeration of differently sized trapezoidal blocks, responding to the scale and rooflines of the surrounding small-scale industrial buildings.

It will house a collection of 30 original plasters by the locally born artist Barbara Hepworth, alongside the gallery's existing collection of British and European artworks.

Galleries on the upper floor are sized according to the scale of the works, with smaller rooms for earlier works and larger rooms for contemporary works. A performance space, educational workshops, public facilities will form the lower level.

Chipperfield beat off competition from Zaha Hadid and Snøhetta to land the commission in 2003. The gallery is due to open in 2010.

The project forms part of a wider regeneration project in the West Yorkshire town. David Adjaye's market hall building has recently opened, and funding is being sought for Will Alsop's extension to the town's historic Orangery building.

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