Buro Happold helps deliver Leeds newest attraction
The city of Leeds welcomes back its museum for the first time in nine years - the first time it has had a dedicated home since it was bombed in the war. This follows the refurbishment of the 1862 Grade II* listed Leeds Institute building to house the museum’s large and varied collection of artefacts, making it the long awaited icing on the cake to many other cultural offerings in the heart of the city.
The engineering section of the refurbishment work, led by international multi-disciplinary engineering consultancy Buro Happold, had to be carried out sympathetically to fit to the existing structure – the building had undergone many repairs and refurbishment works over the years and the new design has ensured that these were all considered and adapted to the new scheme. This includes the removal of a theatre that had been added to the Institute, which has been taken out to enable the main hall to be restored to its former glory.
The building features a decorative cornice which, due to listed building status, had to be kept in its original condition. The existing first floor level was strengthened from above using an innovative new method to allow for the heavy exhibits, which allowed the existing cornice to be retained. This floor houses the Leeds Gallery, taking visitors on a journey through the city’s history, from prehistoric times to modern day.
A new second floor has been installed in the double height space between what was the original first floor and the roof. The new second floor will provide additional space for exhibitions. Further gallery space is located on the lower ground floor as well as a café, and education and conference facilities. Overall, the museum now has 5000 sq metres of floor space on four levels.
A key part of Buro Happold’s input to the building came from the Ground Engineering team, who were instrumental in overcoming the building’s settlement issues. Originally built on clay, the Institute building had settled over time, and the new layout meant that new foundations would be required inside the building. The team designed new foundations so that they would not settle significantly in relation to the old foundations and could cope with the variable soft ground.
“The work has given the building a new lease of life and brought it back in to the 21st century”, explains Buro Happold’s Colin Riches. “Not only is there now enough space to display the museum’s excellent collection but the facility itself will be a great place to visit, with the additional rooms, increased visitor amenities and the consideration given to inclusive design features”.
The City Museum is the final phase in the redevelopment of Millennium Square, Leeds flagship project to mark the year 2000.
Project team:
Client: Leeds City Council
Architect: Austin Smith Lord
Buro Happold services: Structural engineering, building services engineering, ground engineering, civil engineering, disability design consultancy, computation and simulation analysis, fire engineering design and risk assessment, IT consulting
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Buro Happold is a multi-disciplinary international practice of consulting engineers established in 1976. It offers civil and structural engineering, mechanical and electrical engineering, quantity surveying, building services and environmental engineering, health and safety management, infrastructure and traffic engineering, ground engineering, façade engineering, fire engineering, computational fluid dynamics analysis, inclusive design consultancy, project management, urban design and a range of specialist CAD services.