Biggin Hill War Memorial Museum in London has opened its doors to the public, with spitfire aircraft and previously unpublished photos of World War 2 pilots and Winston Churchill being available for at the public display. The museum aims to creating an environment where people can learn about the Battle of
A £15 million contract to deliver the new Central Library and Museum in Doncaster has been secured by Willmott Dixon. The project, designed by architect Bond Ryan, involves the transformation of four existing buildings into a cultural and learning centre that includes a new library, rail heritage centre, art gallery
An acoustic system from Sto has been specified for a £7.5 million museum redevelopment project in London. The StoSilent Distance system has been installed in the Garden Museum, which is Britain’s only museum covering the art, history and design of gardens, located at the Church of St Mary-at-Lambeth. “We specified
Biggin Hill War Memorial Museum in London has opened its doors to the public, with spitfire aircraft and previously unpublished photos of World War 2 pilots and Winston Churchill being available for at the public display. The museum aims to creating an environment where people can learn about the Battle of Britain and those who lost their lives in the conflict. “The museum offers a new way of telling for what some people would be a familiar story,” said director of the Biggin Hill War Memorial Museum, Jemma Davey. Other artefacts on display include objects that reflect the lives of those who worked at RAF Biggin Hill and those that reflect the personal stories of service men and women that operated at the airfield. “The history of Biggin Hill goes so much further back than the Battle of Britain. It is one of Britain’s oldest aerodromes and was instrumental to the development of wireless communication technologies,” added Jemma. Called by Winston Churchill his “strongest link” during the Battle of Britain, RAF Biggin Hill is an airfield in South London. Pilots from the airfield took down 1,400 Luftwaffe aircraft during World War 2. Construction work on the £5.3 million (US$6.9m, €6m) museum started in Q4 2017 and the project received funding from the UK Government, the National Lottery, the local Bromley Council and private donors. The historic airfield site is also home to St George’s RAF Chapel of Remembrance, where those who died working from Biggin Hill sector are commemorated.
A £15 million contract to deliver the new Central Library and Museum in Doncaster has been secured by Willmott Dixon. The project, designed by architect Bond Ryan, involves the transformation of four existing buildings into a cultural and learning centre that includes a new library, rail heritage centre, art gallery and museum. “The new Central Library and Museum project is one of many schemes we are on the ground and delivering as part of our comprehensive and ambitious Urban Centre Masterplan. We are transforming Doncaster, making it a highly desirable place to live, work, visit and invest in,” said Cllr Bill Mordue, Doncaster Council’s Cabinet Member for Business, Skills and Economic Development. Throughout the project, the central frontage of the former Hall Cross Girls School building will be retained and encased in a glass façade to showcase an iconic part of Doncaster’s architectural heritage. “Scape and Willmott Dixon have a strong and ongoing relationship with Doncaster Council, with a proven track record of delivering much-needed programmes in the area,” added Mark Robinson, Scape Group chief executive. “Our delivery partner, Willmott Dixon, has played a key role to support Doncaster Council in the regeneration of the local area, providing upgraded community facilities and affordable housing. By utilising our framework Doncaster Council has ensured cost-effective and efficient project delivery, while ensuring local suppliers benefit from the inward investment.” Located on the junction of Waterdale and Chequer Road, the new development is expected to open in summer 2020. This latest contract adds to a series of schemes in Doncaster by Willmott Dixon.
An acoustic system from Sto has been specified for a £7.5 million museum redevelopment project in London. The StoSilent Distance system has been installed in the Garden Museum, which is Britain’s only museum covering the art, history and design of gardens, located at the Church of St Mary-at-Lambeth. “We specified the StoSilent Distance system for a number of reasons,” explained Alun Jones of Dow Jones Architects. “The building work involved the creation of a cluster of copper-clad pavilions around a cloistered garden area. These house two new educational spaces and a cafeteria, and they are connected by a number of covered walkways. These spaces feature concrete floors and floor-to-ceiling glazing, so in order to achieve an acoustic environment with a reverberation time of less than 0.8 seconds we used a Sto seamless acoustic ceiling. Having used the Sto solution on a previous project we were confident that it would be perfect for the museum, and Sto worked closely with us to create a balanced acoustic system which would satisfy all the different requirements.” The StoSilent Distance system provides a modern, clean, monolithic alternative to the standard options. It is ideal for situations where, as with the Garden Museum, these surfaces must be suspended to accommodate services, and where the ceilings were being used as negative plenums for air extraction and movement. The StoSilent Distance system utilises its own Sto SC400 metal framework, and StoSilent Distance 110 boards. The boards are manufactured from 96% recycled glass and can be integrated with lighting, grills and other M&E considerations. StoSilent boards are permeable, and have a honeycomb-like structure which allows noise and sound to dissipate through a void space and so balance the acoustic environment. StoSilent Distance is a lightweight system, and unlike exposed grid and soft tile alternatives, the boards will not sag or delaminate. It can be used to create many different design features, including seamless, inclined planes or curves, or sharp and consistent joints. The benefit to the architects and end user is that the system can also be repaired and refurbished throughout the lifetime of the building without greatly negating the value of the acoustics, wherever the system has been installed.
