A museum gets a modern twist

 You do not run out of superlatives when it comes to describing theAshmolean Museum in Oxford and its recent redevelopment; the “once-in- a-career project”; “a unique opportunity”, etc.

It is the oldest public museum in the country, possibly even Europe, first opening in the 17th century, and housing artefacts of international interest. It has featured in Inspector Morse novels and the Morse and Lewis TV dramas, but then so have most of Oxford’s landmarks. It has even fallen foul of a Mission Impossible style robbery on Millennium’s Eve.

Museums play such an important part in our lives, allowing us to glimpse the past, examine our cultural diversity and helping us to imagine the future. The brief for this scheme was for the Ashmolean to meet the challenges of a modern museum in terms of conservation, access and study, yet retain the atmosphere of one of the oldest museums.

The project was to include an education centre and improved conservation accommodation. As a result, this project was of major importance, not just at a local level, but in an international setting. Needless to say, any construction professional would be keen to be involved. The project had been discussed for a number of years, with some members of the design team reporting having received the first emails about it a decade earlier.

The redevelopment cost £61 million and only the Grade I listed Cockerell building was retained. The Evans Extensions (built in the late 19th century), which have been kindly described as “less architecturally ambitious” and unkindly described as having the “aesthetics of an engine shed”, were to be removed from the rear.

The construction phase started in January 2007, with the main contractor BAM bringing it in on schedule in November 2009. It proved to be a good example of modern local authority building control working closely with the design team and drawing in early consultation with Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service.

On starting work, the building control staff switched to develop a constructive relationship with the main contractor – who was keen to have a regular presence on site – enabling building control to play an active part in decision making. The scheme features six floors, including a roof-top restaurant; 39 new galleries (doubling the display space); an education centre; a conservation department and the associated office space.

The new accommodation has been laid out to provide interlocking gallery spaces running North-South and East- West. The intersection of this axis is a four-storey void provided with impressively lit cascading accommodation stairs – wonderfully entitled the Crossing Cultures Orientation Gallery. This allows visitors to circulate between the galleries, but without losing track of where they are in this impressive building.

The extension is separated from the existing building by a line of 60 minutes fire resisting compartmentation – in the form of fire-rated shutters – secreted away within the fabric of the new structure. The new-build elements have been fitted with a fast response sprinkler system to inhibit the initial growth and spread of a fire and to provide protection to property. The fire strategy makes use of an L1 automatic fire detection system utilizing smoke, heat and beam detectors as well as flow switch sensors in the sprinkler system, which provide further heat detection coverage.

The strategy is for simultaneous evacuation, but with a two stage alarm system with a silent staff alarm at the first activation. This gives staff time to control visitors and move them towards the main exit, whilst investigating the cause of activation, and therefore avoiding smash and grab robberies of small artefacts. A second activation will trigger the voice alarm and doors (fitted with magnetic locks) releasing systems, by which time staff will be in place to control and manage the evacuation; all monitored by an extensive CCTV system. All travel distances generally accord with the guidance of AD B. Means of escape for people with disabilities is covered by a combination of escape lifts and stair enclosures that provide safe refuges, which communicate back to the museum’s control room.

The displacement ventilation system serving the accommodation also provides a means of controlling and containing smoke and reducing potential damage to artefacts. Whilst it is not a life- protection measure, it brings significant benefits. Smoke will be extracted from the fire area via dedicated temperature- rated fans; thus depressurising the area and protecting refuges and lobbies containing rising fire mains from smoke ingress. Automatic control will come initially from the fire-detection system; subsequent manual operation is enabled via a firefighter’s control panel.

Many artefacts benefit from additional fire protection by virtue of them being displayed in hermetically sealed, laminated glass cabinets that are filled with an inert gas. Given the confined site, very little evidence of this impressive scheme can be seen from the outside.

The entrance to the education centre from St Giles allows a quick glimpse of the extensive amount of work that has taken place For those of us with minds so inclined - yes that was the only route in and out for materials. The scheme has received many plaudits and will receive many more judging by the response we have witnessed when visiting with family and friends – you cannot fail to be impressed with the quality of this building.