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Sumit Singhal
Sumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination. Wellcome Collection transformation in London, England by Wilkinson Eyre ArchitectsJuly 26th, 2015 by Sumit Singhal
Article source: Wilkinson Eyre Architects Wilkinson Eyre Architects has completed a £17.5m transformation of Wellcome Collection in London designed to accommodate growing visitor numbers and enrich the visitor experience.  Image Courtesy © Wilkinson Eyre Architects
 Image Courtesy © Wilkinson Eyre Architects Originally Wellcome Collection was predicted to receive visitor numbers of around 100,000 a year, but before development works began in 2013 the venue welcomed more than 550,000 people a year.  Image Courtesy © Wilkinson Eyre Architects  Image Courtesy © Wilkinson Eyre Architects Wilkinson Eyre’s intervention has reorganised the building in order to enrich the visitor experience and improve footfall through all publicly accessible floors. Working within the confines of the existing building, Wilkinson Eyre has succeeded in creating 40% more exhibition space, along with a new Reading Room, a new youth events space (The Studio), and a new research area (The Hub).The transformation has also improved Wellcome Collection’s presence on the busy Euston Road and has expanded the atrium space to support increased visitor numbers.  Image Courtesy © Wilkinson Eyre Architects  Image Courtesy © Wilkinson Eyre Architects A dynamic new steel staircase has been introduced between the ground and second floors to enhance circulation between floors and entice visitors up to the expanded first floor gallery spaces and destination restaurant on the second floor. The 17.5 metric ton steel structure is sculpted into a flowing, swirling form, enticing the eye and drawing people up through the building. The finished staircase is shot-blasted on the outside and the inside faces, which are closer to the public, were sprayed with a cold zinc and hot stainless steel solution that was hand-polished by one individual.  Image Courtesy © Wilkinson Eyre Architects  Image Courtesy © Wilkinson Eyre Architects A thematic exhibition gallery has been created on the first floor, replacing administrative offices. It completes a loop on the first floor, allowing visitors to circle around the building, linking the Medicine Man and Medicine Now permanent galleries to the new youth events space. The latter has been added as a purpose-built flexible contemporary studio for teenagers to creatively engage with science and art offering both hi-tech digital technology and low-tech modelling and making equipment. It brings together elements of common rooms, bedrooms, music studios and laboratories to create a unique environment for participatory learning.  Image Courtesy © Wilkinson Eyre Architects  Image Courtesy © Wilkinson Eyre Architects The Reading Room has been transformed by AOC Architects into a space that bridges the gap between Wellcome Collection’s events and exhibitions programme and the world-class Library, archive and object collections.  Image Courtesy © Wilkinson Eyre Architects  Image Courtesy © Wilkinson Eyre Architects The Research Library on the upper floors has received a completely new entrance and reception desk. A roof light above the new double-height space that houses the new stair links the second and third floors of the library to create an entirely interconnecting space across floors. A new warmer colour palette, improved lighting and user-friendly way finding helps to create a cosy and welcoming environment for the library users and staff.  Image Courtesy © Wilkinson Eyre Architects  Image Courtesy © Wilkinson Eyre Architects On the fifth floor, The Hub is an area dedicated to longer term research for groups of academics, artists and other creative minds to collaborate on interdisciplinary projects exploring medicine, health and well-being. About Wilkinson Eyre Architects Wilkinson Eyre Architects, twice winners of both the prestigious RIBA Stirling Prize and the RIBA Lubetkin Prize, is one of the UK’s leading architecture practices. Its portfolio of bold, beautiful, intelligent architecture includes the Guangzhou International Finance Center, one of the tallest buildings in the world; the giant cooled conservatories for Gardens by the Bay in Singapore; the new Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth, the acclaimed temporary structure of the London 2012 Basketball Arena and the recently completed Weston Library in Oxford. Current projects include the restoration of Battersea Power Station in London, a major new office and transport development in Toronto and a landmark tower overlooking Sydney Harbour. www.wilkinsoneyre.com About Wellcome Collection Part of Wellcome Collection, the Wellcome Library provides insight and information to anyone seeking to understand medicine and its role in society, past and present. We are one of the world’s major resources for the study of medical history and we also provide access to a growing collection of contemporary biomedical information resources relating to consumer health, popular science, biomedical ethics and the public understanding of science. More than 40 000 readers visited last year, including historians, academics, students, health professionals, consumers, journalists, artists and members of the general public.  Image Courtesy © Wilkinson Eyre Architects  Image Courtesy © Wilkinson Eyre Architects  Image Courtesy © Wilkinson Eyre Architects  Image Courtesy © Wilkinson Eyre Architects  Image Courtesy © Wilkinson Eyre Architects  Image Courtesy © Wilkinson Eyre Architects
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Categories: Event space, Exhibition, Gallery, Restaurant |
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