The British Museum appoints Turner & Townsend to project manage the Visitor Welcome Programme
Turner & Townsend has been appointed as lead project manager of the British Museum’s Visitor Welcome Programme.
The Visitor Welcome Programme forms part of the museum’s long-term masterplan. This includes the delivery of a new Energy Centre, with works estimated to start in 2025, and the refurbishment of the “Western Range Galleries” for which an international design competition was launched earlier this year.
The institution on Great Russell Street, London, dates back to 1759 and today attracts over six million visitors per year. Entry to the museum’s 60 galleries is free of charge and, with a continually high number of visitors, the arrival and welcome experience requires rethinking.
The Visitor Welcome Programme will examine ways in which the current arrangements can be improved, while balancing many stakeholders’ requirements with the site’s highly protected heritage status.
The global professional services company will provide full project management via its London-based real estate team, starting with the procurement of a design team through a competition using the Greater London Authority Architecture & Urbanism framework.
This further adds to Turner & Townsend’s initial appointment with the museum earlier this year, to help manage the design competition for the team who will conduct the early RIBA stages of the Programme.
Steve Perkins, Director, UK, commented on this significant commission:
“We are delighted to be working with the British Museum on the advancement of these critical projects which reflect the institution’s bold commitment to decarbonisation, security and enhancement of the visitor experience as part of its long-term vision.
We fully appreciate the commitment and desire of its new Director, Nicholas Cullinan, the senior management team and all its employees to maintaining its position as the UK’s leading public museum, and the significant challenges presented by the historic buildings which house its world-class collections.
“Having been entrusted by many institutions to deliver complex projects on high-profile sites, we are confident that we bring an informed yet innovative approach to delivering the museum’s ambitious plans, and we look forward to working with the museum’s stakeholders to help do so.”
Alice Fraser, Head of Capital Projects: Masterplan, British Museum, commented:
“The British Museum is the most visited attraction in the UK. This project brief has been established to ensure that the six million people that make the journey here every year are given a fantastic experience from the moment they step through the gates.”
Our long-term intention is to bring forward permanent improvements that account for growth in our visitor numbers and reimagine the relationship between our buildings and the wider neighbourhood as part of our masterplan project.
“The Visitor Welcome Pavilion project will act as a precursor to that process, calling for high-quality designs that deliver an immediate improvement for visitors and allow the museum the flexibility to explore new solutions to our welcome experience.”
“We are pleased to be working with the talented specialist team at Turner & Townsend to deliver this vision and look forward to a productive partnership.”
