The National Army Museum reopens today following a three-year £23.75m redevelopment carried out by contractor Gilbert Ash.
The museum, based in Chelsea, was redesigned by BDP and involved a substantial re-ordering of the 1970s building to achieve maximum accessibility and significantly enhance visitors’ experience.
The museum houses the national collections of the Land Forces of the Crown, which tells the story of the British Army and its impact on Britain, Europe and the world through a series of thematic displays.
The project delivered 2,200 sq m of exhibition space across six permanent galleries plus a new temporary exhibition gallery. In addition, education and learning spaces, cafe, retail and both front and back of house support spaces are provided.
Internally the major change has been the introduction of a naturally lit central atrium that runs from the front to the rear of the building.
The atrium is staggered across all floors to create a dynamic space that opens up vistas into and through the depth of the building, providing visitors with a central point of orientation from which all the main galleries and public facilities are visible.
Tim Leach, architect director at BDP, said: “The creative adaptation of this major UK museum presents a wonderful opportunity to re-order the building, redisplay the collections and communicate the significance of the army story to a wider audience.”
