The Museum of the Home re-designed for more footfall
Illustration of new entrance to Museum of the Home (London) opposite Hoxton Overground Station - visual by Secchi and design by Wright & Wright Architects
Future Cities Forum is delighted that Naila Yousuf, Partner at Wright & Wright Architects is joining our 'Cultural Cities' panel discussion this week with V&A's Deputy Director Tim Reeve, MAAT Lisbon's Director Beatrice Leanza, Arnolfini Bristol's Executive Director Gary Topp and Cllr Lynn Williams who is closely involved with the Blackpool Museum Project.
Naila has been project lead on the re-modelling of the much-loved Museum of the Home in East London. Naila also led the team on the planning application for Lambeth Palace Library, created to house the archive of the Church of England.
Increased accessibility to the Museum of the Home (formerly The Geffrye Museum) has been an important element in the re-design by architects Wright & Wright. A new museum entrance opposite Hoxton Station welcomes visitors via a series of sculptural ramps and steps that are an extension of the public realm.
Museum of the Home is set within a row of 18th century alms houses in Kingsland Road, Hackney and Wright & Wright Architects have rationalised and remodelled the existing buildings while adding a series of new elements. The idea is to make the museum more immersive and appeal to a wider audience.
Within the main building, the lower ground floor was reduced in level to form the Home Galleries and first floor opened up to feature a new Collections Library, where visitors can explore previously unseen parts of the Museum.
The gardens have been landscaped to improve accessibility and two new pavilion buildings book-end the existing gardens, and the Studio Pavilion is crowned by a green roof. The '21st century garden' enhances biodiversity across the site and the Learning Pavilion supports the Museum's education programme.
The £18 million capital project preserved the building, freed up space for display and study, generated 30% more exhibition space, and doubled the overall public space on offer, with no commensurate increase in its energy requirements. In the careful reuse of resources and use of energy, it is genuinely sustainable.
Below - Naila Yousuf of Wright & Wright Architects
