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Celebrated architecture firm Adjaye Associates will lead a major redesign project at two UK museums; The International Slavery Museum and the Maritime Museum
Lauren Heath-Jones | Planet Attractions | 08 Jul 2022
The redevelopment will see the Maritime Museum expanded to include new visitor facilities and exhibition spaces Credit: Pete Carr
Celebrated architecture firm Adjaye Associates has been appointed to lead a £57m (€67.2m, US$68.3m) redevelopment of two major museums in Liverpool, UK.
The firm was selected, alongside Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA), by National Museums Liverpool and the Respect Group to lead the project that will see the transformation of the International Slavery Museum and Maritime Museums.
The project, which is partially funded by a £9.9m (€11.7m, US$11.87m) grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, will see the expansion of the International Slavery Museum into the nearby Dr Martin Luther King Jr building.
Built in 1846, the Grade I-listed building will be transformed into the museum’s main entrance and will include dedicated welcome areas to create better visitor orientation and “a stronger sense of purpose and identity for the museum.”
Meanwhile, the Maritime Museum’s Hartley Pavillion - a former 19th-century warehouse designed by Jesse Hartley - will undergo an extensive refurbishment to include several new visitor facilities, including a cafeteria and retail areas, as well as temporary exhibition and event spaces.
Adjaye Associates will realise the architectural design for both projects, while RAA will provide the exhibition design.
“To be bringing two such visionary designers with international reputations to the project represents the bold ambition and thinking behind it,” said National Museums Liverpool director Laura Pye.
“We’re delighted they’re keen to embrace this as a co-production project, which we feel will create something truly groundbreaking.
“There has never been a more important time to address the legacies of the transatlantic slave trade and the redevelopment of the International Slavery Museum symbolises our, and our region’s commitment to confronting the significant role the city played in British imperialism.
“Alongside the revitalisation of the Maritime Museum, which will bring a renewed focus on Liverpool’s rich maritime history and communities, and the wider Canning Dock development. The project will create a holistic exploration of the heritage of the Liverpool waterfront, as well as a world-class visitor experience.”
Commenting on the project, Sir David Adjaye said: “This project presents us with an opportunity to reimagine the historic fabric of this Grade I listed building and to reposition it within the powerful context of Liverpool’s Waterfront and its relationship to the transatlantic slave trade.”
Philip Tefft, director of RAA’s London Studio, described the project as “among the most significant” the firm has ever undertaken.
“We eagerly anticipate collaborating with National Museums Liverpool, the wider project team and the local community in an inclusive co-production process that places the descendants of people impacted by Liverpool’s maritime history at the heart of the conversation and emerging museum experience,” said Tefft.
“Together, we will honour Liverpool’s Waterfront as a sacred ground – a place that reverberates with the sights, sounds and souls of all those connected to its global history.”
Museums and galleries
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