New Wing for National Maritime Museum

Here in the US no plans exist to build a maritime museum of any significant scale but smal designs continue to be planned including the newly proposed Morro Bay Maritime Museum located just down the road from gCaptain HQ.

But in Europe large scale plans continue to be proposed especially in the maritime hub of England. As proof of that country’s commitment to their maritime legacy consider C. F. MÃ¸ller Architects recently published sketches of the extension for the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, London. The Danish firm won the international architectural competition for the 5200 m2 new wing in 2006.

The new wing, called the Sammy Ofer Wing, will house a large special exhibitions gallery, a new south entrance towards Greenwich Park, and the creation of storage facilities for the National Maritime Archive with associated learning and research facilities.

According to NMM.ac.uk:

The new wing will open access routes from the Museum to Greenwich Park with a new south entrance.

It will improve the Museum’s key visitor approaches from the Royal Observatory and major transport arrival points, as well as connections with the rest of the World Heritage Site.

The new wing will give visitors a complete sense of what the Museum offers: world-class displays, collections and visitor facilities, all in one accessible configuration.

Due to the heritage sensitivity of the site, the bulk of the new construction is kept below ground, meaning that the new wing becomes a combination of architecture and public landscape. The roof of the new wing is a landscaped terrace overlooking the park, and all levels are accessed by ramps.

Construction is planned to start this summer with a scheduled opening sometime prior to the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. The new wing is named after Sammy Ofer, an international shipping magnate and philanthropist, who donated £20m for the new project.

Sammy Ofer Wing sketches: