Expansion of a museum to create a dedicated Spitfire aircraft exhibition hall and landscaped public realm

Spitfire Exhibition Hall

To celebrate the fact the original designer of the Spitfire was born and raised in Stoke-on-Trent, the council wanted to showcase a refurbished Spitfire within a new exhibition hall to be built as an extension to the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery.

We are really happy with the outcome of this project. Not only have we managed to pay homage to one of Stoke-on-Trent’s true icons – Reginald J. Mitchell, the designer of the Spitfire plane – but we have also improved the aesthetics and accessibility for those walking to and around the site, through our new pedestrian links.

Cllr Daniel Jellyman

The project required the demolition of part of the cafe to create a link between the hall and the museum, in addition to landscaping and groundworks to improve accessibility.

We were appointed to develop a delivery strategy and workable designs to construct the extension on a challenging site. The hall needed to take advantage of the site topography and make the building visible from a distance, with designs required to maximise the exposure of the spitfire to visitors to the surrounding area.

With the site having a history of being used for coal mining, and ground within which the composition and loadbearing capacity were uncertain, we were required to carefully consider the presence of voids and select the correct design of foundations and building structure.

In addition to the building, a key project requirement was the provision of a high quality, accessible public realm providing an attractive external space for visitors and passers-by.

Due to challenging ground conditions, we confirmed piling deep through the layers of made ground would achieve the required structural stability. This was further enhanced by a lightweight structural design and use of the museum building as a retaining structure, supplemented by other structural design details.

Our landscape designs included bespoke granite seat terraces, seat walls, feature paving and semi-mature trees along a new footpath providing vertical interest, breaking up the building façade and creating instant impact. The result is a vibrant, free flowing space that receives movement from its many edges and wraps around the new glazed extension allowing views from all angles to the Spitfire.

The project demanded engagement with various stakeholders including the council’s lead member for regeneration, planning officers, museum curator and volunteers responsible for restoring the Spitfire. We needed to balance a variety of requirements from stakeholders, including protection of historical artefacts from vibrations during ground investigations and improvement of accessibility.

A fast-track design programme was required to meet the council's timescales, leaving limited time for completion of full range of surveys and investigations, meaning the client needed to proceed at a greater level of risk, under our guidance.

To capture and meet museum stakeholders' aspirations, we implemented a coordinated communication and review strategy, resulting in the development of a simple design using maximum glazing and harnessing the elevation of the site to showcase the Spitfire, with the inclusion of a mezzanine platform allowing aerial views of the aircraft. By engaging the museum curator and ground investigations contractor, we gained assurance that the level of vibrations would have no impact on museum artefacts.

We supported the contractor in programming logistics of site set-up and enabling works to allow the cafe and theatre to remain operational for as long as possible, ensuring major events planned within the theatre will not be disrupted.