British Museum World Conservation and Exhibitions Centre Montague Place elevation of proposed World Conservation and Exhibitions Centre The British Museum is consulting widely about revised proposals for the World Conservation and Exhibitions Centre to produce a solution that satisfies the needs of visitors, volunteers and staff and responds to the concerns from the local community. NWD graphics 16 N0 @ 650x2150mm.1 1 5/10/09 14:39:32
Museum Forecourt Visitors queuing for exhibition tickets The British Museum is a world leader in the conservation and display of objects from across the globe. This pre-eminence has made it one of the most popular visitor attractions in the world: every year 5-6 million visitors come to see our collection. To ensure that the Museum can continue to be a world leader and vital international resource, and to ensure that it can grow its important role through the 21st century, we must now take the opportunity to rationalise our operations on-site, and modernise our behind the scenes facilities. NWD graphics 16 N0 @ 650x2150mm.2 2 5/10/09 14:39:43
Stone conservator at work Participants of the Museum s annual International Training Programme The British Museum needs new purpose-built facilities that can bring its conservators, scientists, exhibitions and storage near to each other so their work can be even more effective. These new facilities, designed by architects Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, will enable the Museum to enhance its educational role locally, and greatly increase the amount of training it is able to provide for colleagues from around the world. NWD graphics 16 N0 @ 650x2150mm.3 3 5/10/09 14:39:57
Conservation and Scientific Research Ceramics conservation studio, Montague Street NWD graphics 16 N0 @ 650x2150mm.4 4 5/10/09 14:40:02
Currently much of our conservation work is carried out in unsuitable domestic properties on the site. The layout of the facilities, and lack of natural light, presents significant challenges to our experts, and many of the rooms are too small. Because much of the conservation, science and storage facilities are currently dispersed across the Museum, as well as off-site, highly important and sensitive objects often have to be transported in less than ideal conditions. Top: Metals conservation studio, Montague Street Bottom: Transporting objects to the Reading Room for the exhibition Moctezuma: Aztec Ruler NWD graphics 16 N0 @ 650x2150mm.5 5 5/10/09 14:40:13
Training at the British Museum The Museum is much in demand as an international learning resource but because of our current layout it is difficult to meet the level of requests for training and support, locally, nationally and internationally. NWD graphics 16 N0 @ 650x2150mm.6 6 5/10/09 14:40:26
Exhibitions First Emperor: China s Terracotta Army exhibition NWD graphics 16 N0 @ 650x2150mm.7 7 5/10/09 14:40:33
Arrival of objects for the exhibition The First Emperor: China s Terracotta Army Installing the exhibition Hadrian: Empire and Conflict, in the Reading Room In recent years the British Museum has developed a series of extremely popular special exhibitions that have helped contribute to our understanding of human cultural development. Currently these are held in the Reading Room but this space was not designed for exhibitions and was always conceived as a temporary solution. As an exhibition space, the Reading Room can be inflexible and challenging, restricting the type of objects that can be displayed. The transportation of highly valued and often fragile objects to and from this space is not ideal with a lack of good transport access and limited doorway sizes. NWD graphics 16 N0 @ 650x2150mm.8 8 5/10/09 14:40:46
Turquoise mosaic of a double-headed serpent, Mexico, 15th-16th century AD The British Museum needs to create a new dedicated exhibition space for temporary and special projects that can release other areas of the existing building. This will allow a better use of space and improved circulation routes, enhancing the quality of the visitors experience. The new exhibition space will allow us to display large international exhibitions which the Museum has previously been unable to accommodate. NWD graphics 16 N0 @ 650x2150mm.9 9 5/10/09 14:40:49
Developing a Solution In order to guide its development over the next 10 to 15 years, the Museum undertook a masterplanning exercise between 2004 and 2006. The masterplan identifed the World Conservation and Exhibitions Centre as the most important project, providing: conservation and science facilities a gallery for special exhibitions a collections management hub Aerial view of the British Museum site. Red dot indicates location of proposed World Conservation and Exhibitions Centre. stores for the study collection The masterplan exercise, supported by the Conservation Plan, identified the north-west corner of the site as the only area capable of locating these strongly interrelated functions. NWD graphics 16 N0 @ 650x2150mm.10 10 5/10/09 14:40:54
Our New Exhibitions Gallery Artistic impression of proposed exhibition gallery The new building offers a modern, accessible exhibition space that will enable the successful temporary exhibitions programme to continue and grow. Because it is located next to the delivery, study collection store and conservation and science areas, the whole operation can be contained and enhanced, lessening the impact on the rest of the Museum. Access to the new exhibition space will be via the Great Court. At over 1,000 square metres, the gallery will provide a space comparable in size to other UK and international institutions. NWD graphics 16 N0 @ 650x2150mm.11 11 5/10/09 14:41:02
Egyptian sculpture gallery (Room 4) Egyptian sculpture gallery (Room 4) The Wellcome Trust Gallery (Room 24) The new facilities will also improve visitor circulation around the Museum, removing some of the routes that currently force people to double back on themselves. This will help ease some of the more congested areas within the Museum, for example the extremely busy Egyptian sculpture gallery. NWD graphics 16 N0 @ 650x2150mm.12 12 5/10/09 14:41:18
Conservation and Scientific Research Artistic impression of proposed conservation studio The new building provides state-of-the-art conservation and science facilities that will support the work of our world class experts and staff. By bringing all the skills together in one place, there is a much greater opportunity for sharing resource and knowledge. By locating these facilities next to the Museum s study collection store, the journey for highly sensitive objects is massively reduced. This reduces the risk of damage to objects in transit, and allows more time for conserving and understanding the objects. NWD graphics 16 N0 @ 650x2150mm.13 13 5/10/09 14:41:24
Museum conservators and scientists at work Modern scientific equipment that requires specific lighting and a vibration free environment in order to perform well, has been cleverly situated in the very lowest level within the new building to ensure effective usage. NWD graphics 16 N0 @ 650x2150mm.14 14 5/10/09 14:41:36
The World Conservation and Exhibitions Centre View of proposed World Conservation and Exhibitions Centre from Malet Street The World Conservation and Exhibitions Centre will replace the existing 20th century buildings that are no longer suitable for the Museum s current needs. The Centre is contained within the footprint of the existing Museum site. The facade (see above) is the only part of the building that will be visible to the public. Where it is seen from the street, the design has been created to provide a light and interesting finish of specially produced glass and traditional stone to sit well and blend with its grade I listed surroundings. Plan of proposed World Conservation and Exhibitions Centre NWD graphics 16 N0 @ 650x2150mm.15 15 5/10/09 14:41:51
Addressing the concerns from our earlier application The following changes have been made in response to concerns about the previous design. One of the pavilions has been relocated underground, ensuring no impact on the view from the Arched Room and substantially reducing the impact of views from the Bedford Square properties. The remaining above ground Footprint comparison. Spaces shown in red represent area occupied by the original planning proposal but left as void in the revised proposals. The red area is 510 square metres per floor which equates to 22% of the building visible above ground. buildings have been reduced in width, and the facade on Montague Place set further back. In addition the project will provide other benefits including: A contribution to improving the appearance of Montague Place The removal of exhibition lorries and related traffic from Great Russell Street A site-wide green energy strategy A Green Travel Plan, providing alternative options for travel to the Museum NWD graphics 16 N0 @ 650x2150mm.16 16 5/10/09 14:41:55