The design incorporates the form of a ship, as the site was formerly a shipyard
THE VISITOR EXPERIENCE MASTER PLANNERS 3XN’s principle, Kim Nielsen, describes the architecture The museum stands
The £72m Museum of Liverpool is the first newly-built museum to open in Britain in more than a century
“W
have the space to show. Another aspect was Liverpool’s role in global history. We felt that a city like Liverpool, which is often considered as second to London, really needed a proper exploration of its place as a city and how it’s developed. There’s a growing interest globally in museums that tell the story of people and deal with some of the harsh realities of cit- ies, and that explore a sense of place and identity. We felt placed to be part of that. Another element is the social purpose of a museum to help people explore their past, but also to be a place for discussing the present and the future. This is a very real and tangible way for a city museum to become a part of that.
What is the content?
The whole museum has been developed from a story-led approach rather than a col- lections-led approach and we’ve selected key stories. These are structured into four core themes: the Great Port, Global City, People’s Republic and Wondrous Place, which will be located in four large gal- lery spaces. Another key area will be the History Detectives interactive resource cen- tre, which includes a timeline. The ground floor of the museum will look at the urban and technological evolu- tion of the city and the impacts of national developments – the Industrial Revolution,
AM 2 2011 ©cybertrek 2011
hen you design for a heritage site, such as Liverpool’s harbour front,
it’s important to add something that wasn’t there before or there’s no point in building anything. We’ve created a new destination for the Liverpudlians to come to which, as well as being a museum, is a viewing plat- form across the city and the sea. The museum’s on a bridge construction
in the shape of the letter X with two large staircases in the centre. The four points of the cross represent the four points of entry into the city. It also gets around the chal- lenge of building over a tunnel, which runs beneath the dock.
the fortunes of the British Empire and the consequential economic impact that these had on the city’s development. The upper floor of the museum will
explore the social history of the city, chart- ing the background of human settlement in the area from Neolithic times to the present day, and analysing migration, the growth of communities and the diversity of cultures, which together give Liverpool its strong and particular identity. The museum is a starting point and one of our aims is to encourage visitors to go and explore the city and find out more. We’ll be opening on July 19th 2011 with
the Wondrous Place, People's Republic, Global City, Little Liverpool and the Skylight galleries. Further community spaces and a 192-seat theatre will open in a second phase towards the end of 2011, as well as the remaining galleries The Great Port, Liverpool Overhead Railway, History Detectives and City Soldiers.
on a former shipyard, so we incorporated the form of a ship into the design. All the harbour buildings are made of stone and we used stone to ensure the museum complements and pays hom- age to its surroundings. The inside is a very flexible exhibition
structure but the outside has a strong, iconic design. It’s a very penetrable struc- ture – visitors can walk through the cross without entering and get a glimpse inside at the exhibitions.”
What interactives will there be?
The whole museum is very interactive. We have at least 70 films, touchscreens, mul- timedia stations and hands-on interactives. One of our major galleries on the ground floor is Little Liverpool, which is targeted at children under-six. There’s an A to Z of objects, all of which are interactive and that also encourage our young visitors to go out and use the rest of the museum. We’ve developed two touch models, one
of Liverpool’s Pier Head and one of the Albert Dock. There are many opportuni- ties to touch, get closer and discover more, which should generate repeat visits.
How are you tackling topics?
All of our galleries have a contemporary element to them. Many of them start by looking at how people view something today and then explain why it’s that way. The two most contemporary galleries are People’s Republic and Wondrous Place.
Read Attractions Management online
attractionsmanagement.com/digital 29
PHOTO: 3XN
PHOTO: PHILLIP HANDFORTH
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78