IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM

1. SURVEY SCHEDULE:

1.1. PROJECT DETAILS:-

Project – Imperial War Museum

Location – Lambeth Road, London,

Architects – Foster + Partners Interiors.

Construction cost – 40,000,000 dollars.

With over 1 million visitors through its doors in 2010, The Imperial War Museum is one of
the most popular tourist attractions in London. The Museum opened its newly refurbished
Lord Ashcroft Gallery recently, which houses the 'Extraordinary Heroes' exhibition at a cost
of £5 million - the first major permanent gallery at themuseum for over ten years.

The new gallery, which contains the world's largest collection of Victoria Crosses, provides
visitors with a range of interactive touch-screens and state of the art video montages and
sound clips depicting life stories and actions of war heroes andsoldiers.

1.1.2 Objectives of the project

i) The new public spaces represent the first phase of a long-term redevelopment
project that will help improving the access and circulationthrough the Museum.
ii) The interiors are open to the daylight and the surrounding views whichcreates
a new connection between the surrounding and the building.
iii) The project, Imperial War Museum makes an important contribution to too the
going work in historic buildings.
2. SURVEY ANALYSIS:
2.1 Climate:-
London, the capital and largest city in England and the United Kingdom has
a temperate oceanic climate, with warm summers and cool but not cold winters.While
the city annually has modest precipitation, there are long periods of overcast skies and
frequent light mist-type precipitation, which is likely responsible for the rainy image of
the city.

The coldest temperature ever measured in London was −21.1 °C on 25 January 1947, and
the highest temperature ever recorded was 38.1 °C, measured at KewGardens during the
European Heat Wave of 2003. London averages about 1600 hours of sunshine annually.
London's large built-up area creates
a microclimate with heat stored by the city's buildings. Sometimes temperaturesare 5 °C
warmer in the city than in the surrounding areas.

2.2. Surroundings of case study:-

LAMBETH

LONDON

IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM

 ST.GEORGE’S CHURCH IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM

PHOTOGRAPHY ARCHIVE IMPERIAL WAR GERALDINE MARY HARMSWORH SPORTS

MUSEUM COMPLEX
2.3. Plans and sections:-

Floor plans and its spaces-

i) The cafe and shop have now been relocated to the new, lower entrancelevel at
ground floor rather than combining it with the exhibition space.
ii) The café can now be used outside of the Museum’s opening hours, and its seating
extends into the park to create an open air dining area.
iii) The ground floor windows along the western façade have been opened up toallow
views in the museum, as well as views of the park from the atrium.
iv) The floor of the atrium has been lowered to park level, for the future phase of
development, in which the approach to the building will be scooped out to create a
single, accessible entrance for all below the existing stair.
v) The current entrance staircase is temporary and will be removed when the new
approach sequence is complete.
vi) The planned oval food court will create a public plaza, visually balancing the
weight of the historic building and emphasizing the Imperial War Museum as a
contemporary institution.
 FLOOR PLAN AND ITS SPACES
- ZONING

KEY PERCENTAGE SPACES

34% Gallery , exhibition space

6% Stores

8% Staff Offices, Facilities

8% Utilities

4% School facilities

6% Shops + Restaurants

3% Library, visitors facilities

27% Voids
CONNECTION BETWEEN THE
EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL SPACES

VERTICAL CIRCULATION
2.4. Landscape:-
The camouflage patterns used by the military are an abstraction of landscapes of combat.
These patterns represent a visual average of the natural environment: themuted green,
brown, and ochre hues of typical camouflage are a graphic summary of wild and cultivated
places. We wish to confront the global scale of war represented by the building with the
local scale where battles are fought. War does not only re-configure lines on a world map,
but changes everyday landscapes.

We have selected four themes that represent the British landscape: stone, fields, water, and
forest. Like the camouflage pattern, these landscapes are condensed into their essential
character, and reconfigured in a system of gently tilting planes.This system provides a soft,
horizontal, and continuous base for the museum; subtle shifts in elevation and angle
accommodate a variety of programmes in a relatively small area. The landscape forms a
collage of dignified spaces for reflection, gathering, and play that complements the gravity
of the museum’s content.

2.5. Structure:-

 The heart of the building is a generous new atrium, which provides a dramatic
space in which to view the largest objects from the Museum’scollection.
 The relationship between these exhibits and the surrounding galleries hasbeen
completely redefined – the Harrier jet, Spitfire, V2 rocket and othericonic objects
are suspended to correspond with the gallery displays on each of the floors for
the first time.
 Viewed from the upper levels, the aircraft are framed by a series of large-scale
concrete fins.
 These fins line the atrium and widen as they rise to provide structural support
for the aircraft, extended gallery floors and barrel vaulted roof.
 Terraces between the fins open up visual connections vertically and across the
central space, and a new gallery floor suspended beneath the dome of the roof
protects the exhibits from direct sunlight.
  The galleries have been completely reconfigured, with a new chronological
arrangement designed to be more intuitive.
 Vertical circulation has also been redesigned to make the connections between
floors more visible – a new cantilevered stair forms the backdropto the atrium.

STRUCTURAL WORKING PROGRESS STAGE I

STRUCTURAL WORKING PROGRESS STAGE II

On the main cantilever staircase, is a finish that resembles the side of an oldbattle
ship. It needs to have the following qualities:

I. Durability
II. Maintenance –free
III. Guaranteed
IV. Beauty
The main staircase that runs up through the atrium is a sheet steel with the MET451
Metallique Age System chosen as the finish for the backdrop to some of the World’s most
iconic items. The total construction cost of the project is 40,000,000 dollars.

The relationship between these exhibits and the surrounding galleries has been totally
redefined-the Harrier jet, Spitfire ,V2 rocket and other are suspended tocorrespond with the
gallery displays on each of the floors for the first time.

The finish on the staircase gives a robust feeling to the building using a palette inkeeping
with the objects on display

The strategy was not just about having a long-term plan for what the museum should be,
but making sure that the future usage of the gallery spaces was considered at design stage.
The concept drove the design of the atrium space fromthe outset.

To make way for a new outstanding cantilever staircase, the whole first floor slab was
removes, exposing ground floor spaces and opening the building up to its full22 meter
height.
2.6. Services:-
i) Museum has proper evacuation system in case of fire breakout.

ii) Firefighting equipment’s are provide to counteract fire.

iii) AHU, substations are provided.

iv) Water treatment system seen.

v) Power backup provisions are provided.

vi) Sustainable features incorporated in museum building thus certifying it in a Green

building category.

2.7.Observations
1. Visual connectivity is achieved between museum interior & to its
exterior areas.
2. Area for future expansion provided to cater future needs.
3. Well-designed landscape intent found with a theme.
4. The relationship between these exhibits and the surrounding gallerieshas
been achieved.
5. Areas are well connected with each other.
6. Design of structure is done in such way, to get in more natural light
through fins and sky lights.
7. Atrium exhibits a good volumetric play with a vertical connectivity withvisual
connections, thus gives a visitor welcoming effect.
8. Circulation area is well defined.
9. Composite structure system is used in construction of the museum
building.
10. Structural steel frames used with a glass for atrium roof to allow naturaldaylight
into the interiors of the museum.
3. INFERENCE:

i) The spaces are segregated from each other and thus simplify the circulation area for
placement of planes.
ii) The café shops are placed outside the museum but in the periphery which gives a dual
use even after the museum is closed.
iii) The parks and the interior spaces are I collaboration to each other.
iv) Concrete fins are used as a major structural element.
v) Terraces are provided which open up to the exterior views.
vi) Vertical circulation is worked in such a way that it create a connection between the
floors.