Jerman Cheung
East Asia Press Office,Hong Kong
The British Museum has unveiled the World Conservation and Exhibitions Centre (WCEC) at its central London site today.
The opening of this new Centre follows the successful launch of the new Sainsbury Exhibitions Gallery in March and cements the British Museum’s reputation as a world leader in the exhibition, conservation, examination and analysis of cultural objects from across the globe.
Arup has been responsible for designing a number of engineering services including Building Services, Vertical Transportation, Acoustics, Fire, Security and Lighting. Working in close collaboration with architects Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners for the Trustees of the British Museum, Arup has designed state of the art environmental services that allow the conditions to be precisely and efficiently controlled.
The innovative environmental and energy related design services, including heat recovery and variable flow on all ventilation and pipework systems, laboratory fume and dust exhausts and lighting controls, enables the preservation and conservation of irreplaceable artefacts with the minimum of energy consumption.
The 18,000m2 extension comprises four linked pavilions connected to the existing buildings with a fifth pavilion that has been designed underground. It houses a conservation and research wing with modern laboratories, a logistics hub for handling artefacts, offices and collection storage areas as well as the new Sainsbury Exhibitions Gallery and associated suite. This will enable the majority of the British Museum’s operations to take place on the main campus for the first time.
“This is one of the most complex projects that Arup has delivered in recent years in the heart of London. We are seeking to achieve BREEAM Excellent which is highly ambitious given the diverse range of demanding uses. Zero-carbon technology has been incorporated into the building through roof mounted photovoltaic cells. All services are very closely co-ordinated with structural and architectural elements to provide a coherent visual appearance. Andy Sedgwick, Project Director, Arup