Imperial War Museum North in Manchester, United Kingdom by Studio Daniel Libeskind

Article source: Studio Daniel Libeskind

The Imperial War Museum North (IWMN) in Manchester, England, tells the story of how war has affected the lives of British and Commonwealth citizens since 1914. The building was completed in 2001 and since that time was named one of the top 10 buildings of the last century (The Rough Guide to England, 2008) and one of the top 3 Large Visitor Attractions in England (Silver Award at VisitBritain’s Excellence in England Awards™ 2007).

Evening View (Images Courtesy Mott McDonald)

• Architect: Studio Daniel Libeskind
• Name of project: Imperial War Museum North
• Location: Manchester, United Kingdom
• Building size: 69,965 sq.ft
• Structure: Steel structure on concrete, Aluminum cladding, Rendered façade
• Client: Imperial War Museum North
• Photo credit: BitterBredt, SDL, Mott McDonald, IWMN, Studio Daniel Libeskind and Webb Aviation

View from Across the Ship Canal (Images Courtesy BitterBredt)

• Architect of Record: Leach Rhodes Walker
• Structural Engineer: ARUP (London/Manchester)
• Awards: Jan 1 2003 – Building of the Year; Jan 1 2004 – RIBA Award; Jan 1 2007 – Silver Award for “Large Visitor Attraction of the year”
• Project Management: Gardiner and Theobald Management Services
• Mechanical Engineer: Mott MacDonald
• Planning Supervisor: Gleeds
• Cost Estimation: Turner and Townsend
• Exhibition Designer: Event and Real Studios
• Planning Supervisor: Gleeds Health and Safety
• Construction Manager: Fit Out Interior plc
• Contractor: Sir Robert McAlpine, Ltd.
• Status: Completed
• Completion Date: 2001

Air Shard and Outdoor Area (Images Courtesy BitterBredt)

The design concept is that of a globe which has been shattered into fragments and then reassembled. The building’s form is the interlocking of three of these fragments which represent earth, air, and water. These three shards together concretize the Twentieth century conflicts which have never taken place on an abstract piece of paper, but rather have been fought by men and women by land, sky and sea. The IWMN is a constellation composed of three interlocking shards of space. The Earth Shard forms the museum space, signifying the open, earthly realm of conflict and war. The Air Shard serves as a dramatic entry into the Museum, with its projected images, observatories and education spaces. The Water Shard forms the platform for viewing the Canal, complete with a restaurant, cafe, deck and performance space.

View from Trafford Wharf Road (Images Courtesy BitterBredt)

View from Across the Ship Canal (Images Courtesy BitterBredt)

Cafe (Images Courtesy BitterBredt)

Bird's Eye View (Images Courtesy BitterBredt)

Air Shard Viewing Platform (Images Courtesy BitterBredt)

Air Shard View from across the Ship Canal (Images Courtesy BitterBredt)

Exhibition (Images Courtesy Bitterbredt)

Exhibition Silo (Images Courtesy Bitterbredt)

Exhibition Space with Projections (Images Courtesy Bitterbredt)

Inside the Air Shard (Images Courtesy IWMN)

Interior View (Images Courtesy BitterBredt)

Main Entrance (Images Courtesy BitterBredt)

Temporary Exhibition Space (Images Courtesy BitterBredt)

Aerial View (Images Courtesy Webb Aviation)

Tags: Manchester, United Kingdom

Category: Museum

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 25th, 2012 at 6:49 am. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.