http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1024139_museums_54m_eden_revolution

MANCHESTER'S Museum of Science and Industry has unveiled plans for a massive £54m redevelopment.

The project would create a new 'world class' Museum Quarter in the city - stretching more than a quarter of a mile from the River Irwell to the Beetham Tower.

Called Revolution MOSI, the eco-friendly building would be built using the same translucent plastic used in the award-winning domes of the Eden Project in Cornwall.

Translucent light-weight columns inspired by weaving would evoke the city's huge cotton industry heritage.

Solar-power cells on the roof would supply electricity to the museum while funnels would collect and recycle rainwater to flush lavatories.

Redevelopment work would begin in 2009. MOSI director Ian Griffin said: "This project will create an internationally-renowned attraction in the heart of Manchester."

He predicts the scheme would double the museum's visitor numbers to a million a year when it opens in 2012.

The new transparent structure plans to cover the two main warehouses - which are currently the reception building and the 'Power Hall' - and the museum's railway station.

The development would also create a large reception area, a conference centre which could seat 750 diners, and four major new galleries between the two warehouses where some of the museum's most important artefacts - such as the world's first computer - would be placed on permanent display.

Later phases of work could see the original Liverpool Road railway station reinstated and the museum developed as an `urban park' linked by water transport from Stephenson Bridge.

Mr Griffin (pictured with the new design) said that the development would not only create one of the world's best museums but also forge Manchester's own `museum quarter'.

He said: "We are passionate about creating an inspirational museum for the 21st century which is inextricably linked to the city's past.

"People will be able to actively learn through those items in our collection but also feel connected to it as an iconic symbol of what Manchester is all about.

Possible

"We have consulted the people of Manchester about the new museum and they have told us that they want to know as much as possible about the innovations that have come from this city while also enjoying as much hands-on experience as possible

"One of the four new galleries we've created will be called Revolution Manchester which will showcase innovations while another Hands-on gallery will be twice the size of what we've got currently.

"Visitors will also be able to experience the very latest in cutting edge scientific developments in the new Science Alive gallery and the latest developments in audio and visual technology in the Sound and Vision gallery.

"We know that this is an ambitious project but Manchester did not get where it is today by being humble."

Architect David Dernie said that he hopes his designs have captured the Victorian spirit of `innovation and creativity'.

He said: "I hope that the new building will come to be regarded as a 21st century warehouse in its own right with an inventive structure which makes minimum intrusion on its historic surroundings. I hope it will become a flagship for sustainable design for the city."

Funding for the £54m scheme is being finalised with the Heritage Lottery Fund, the North West Regional Development Agency as well as various charitable trusts and corporate sponsors.

Sir Richard Leese, leader of Manchester council, said: "Liverpool Road and the Museum of Science and Industry are at the core of the historic Ctlefield area and this ambitious project will take the area's ongoing regeneration programme of the last 20 years to new heights.

"The plans will help a world-class museum contribute enormously to the city's science, technology and creative heritage."

Thanks Gavin. It's about time Manchester built a new museum or an extension to one. Something we've been missing out on for sometime.

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/171/87387748jl6.jpg

http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/1300/88738284hi8.jpg

http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/8776/77463890xn6.jpg

That looks class! Both as a tourist attraction and a piece of architecture - great news.

I dont mean to be nazi but there is the small matter of the Grade 1 listed buildings ...it being one of the most historically important sites of the industrial age and all that.
Small but significant point i think?

is it a plan to 'cover' the existing site... what are the planning implications

Is it like protecting them from the elements maybe, to preserve them in shrink-wrap packaging, like cling film? :nuts:

is it a plan to 'cover' the existing site... what are the planning implications

I think its to put a 'cover' over the area between the four warehouses.

If they can argue its a 'temporary' structure they may get away with it.

I think its to put a 'cover' over the area between the four warehouses.

If they can argue its a 'temporary' structure they may get away with it.

As I read it, the Liverpool Road station and the 1830 warehouse (i.e. the Grade I structures )will be left uncovered, although the current activities upstairs in the railway station itself will be moved out (i.e. it will be restored specfically to its condition as a station).

The Power Hall will be covered - but that is listed Grade II.

As I read it, the Liverpool Road station and the 1830 warehouse (i.e. the Grade I structures )will be left uncovered, although the current activities upstairs in the railway station itself will be moved out (i.e. it will be restored specfically to its condition as a station).

The Power Hall will be covered - but that is listed Grade II.

The phrase 'Impact on the setting of a listed building' springs to mind though.

Its all about 'context' and 'sense of place' innit?

turning the warehouses themselves into museum exhibits.

It looks strikingly different from everything around it so shouldn't affect the setting too much. What i mean is an onserver will know exactly what is orignal old stuff and what is the modern new stuff.

To be honest i think we need to see a better render and plans.

Great news though:cheers:

http://www.fosterandpartners.com/content/projects/0828/77556.jpg

Wow.

It makes sense to make use of the museum's location - right on the edge of the conference quarter. The redevelopment will probably be mostly geared towards creating spaces that can be used for large black-tie evening events for visiting delagetes which bring in a huge amount revenue for many museums around the world, which the MOSI can't really cater to at the moment.

Wow.

Ever been there? 'wow' was my words exactly, when I walked into it. Something half as good would be welcome.

It sounds good to me and they say the station will be left until later anyway. It'll raise its profile and make it more noticable fom afar as an attraction. I wouldn't mind seeing some plans of the area and what is to be covered.

I've never been that impressed with the British Museum, just a roofed over court, feels like the Trafford Centre.

I've never been that impressed with the British Museum, just a roofed over court

But what a roof!

Not liking the sound of this...

But what a roof!

No, just does nothing for me, a glass net.

I've never been that impressed with the British Museum, just a roofed over court, feels like the Trafford Centre.

I hear that. The quality is undeniable (i should fucking hope so the amount of our money got spent on it) but it feels very sterile.

I worry that this MSIM plan will sterilise this area and turn it from an industrial setting to an 'Eden Project' setting.
The more i think about this the less i like it.

I was riding round here today. Considering they want a 'Museum quarter'; it backs up onto the Granada Studios site completely.

Will the designers be talking to the people who want to develop Granada once they move??

This has just been on a brief report on BBC NorthWest Tonight...they had a few more shots of the designs, although I'm still confused and concerned about what they wish to do!

This has just been on a brief report on BBC NorthWest Tonight...they had a few more shots of the designs, although I'm still confused and concerned about what they wish to do!

More renders/models. :)

Hav it!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/manchester/content/images/2007/11/14/gallery_05_450x300.jpg

http://www.bbc.co.uk/manchester/content/image_galleries/141107_revolution_mosi_gallery.shtml?1

Another link.

http://en.erih.net/content/news/news1/mosi%20%20presentation%20robin%20holgate.pdf

Appears to be just OHP plates from a presentation but contains some plans and renders. The plan on Page 3 seems to indicate that the covering is just over the current car park between the Power Hall and the one warehouse opposite; with no change lower down the site near the Station.

Not sure about this myself; either the concept or the execution. The proposed structure looks contrived, and somewhat impractical, and reminds me of the unloved Forum des Halles shopping centre in Paris. I'd rather it reminded me of the Louvre pyramid.

:) From AJ Online

Manchester Museum reveals £54 million proposals


Manchester's Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) has unveiled its £54 million redevelopment proposals.

Designed by David Dernie, who heads up the Manchester School of Architecture, the scheme will create a new museum quarter stretching for almost a kilometre from the River Irwell to Ian Simpson's Hilton Tower.

At the heart of the scheme are plans for a new building, featuring translucent, lily-shaped ETFE columns which will funnel rainfall for grey-water use.

According to MOSI, this 2,785m2 building 'will act as a striking new orientation area for the museum [which is spread over 2.5ha].'

One of the four new galleries, dubbed Revolution Manchester, will showcase the industrial and scientific breakthroughs invented within the city.

Describing the scheme Dernie said: 'Revolution MOSI is designed to create a striking, must-see attraction for Manchester, which brings together all the elements of the MOSI experience and links in to other key destinations.

'The building's character was actually first inspired by traditional patterns of weaving – observed in the museum itself – and its design aims to reflect the spaces which are almost carved out of textiles.'

He added: 'It will be a flexible, 21st-century warehouse, with an inventive structure that makes a minimal intrusion on its historic surroundings.'

Funding permitting, the first phase of the project will start on site in 2009.

http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/images/Mosi1_resized_250_tcm23-293160.jpg
http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/images/Mosi2_resized_250_tcm23-293167.jpg

:) From AJ Online



http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/images/Mosi1_resized_250_tcm23-293160.jpg
http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/images/Mosi2_resized_250_tcm23-293167.jpg

That picture (the top 1) although small, looks quite good. The Museum of Science and Industry is great, I'm all for it expanding and attracting bigger crowds.

As long as the new extensions complement the existing structures and carefully mix modern with old traditional instead of overpowering them, this could be a great new developement!

Manchester Museum reveals £54 million proposals

Manchester's Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) has unveiled its £54 million redevelopment proposals.

Designed by David Dernie, who heads up the Manchester School of Architecture, the scheme will create a new museum quarter stretching for almost a kilometre from the River Irwell to Ian Simpson's Hilton Tower.

At the heart of the scheme are plans for a new building, featuring translucent, lily-shaped ETFE columns which will funnel rainfall for grey-water use.

According to MOSI, this 2,785m2 building 'will act as a striking new orientation area for the museum [which is spread over 2.5ha].'

One of the four new galleries, dubbed Revolution Manchester, will showcase the industrial and scientific breakthroughs invented within the city.

Describing the scheme Dernie said: 'Revolution MOSI is designed to create a striking, must-see attraction for Manchester, which brings together all the elements of the MOSI experience and links in to other key destinations.

'The building's character was actually first inspired by traditional patterns of weaving – observed in the museum itself – and its design aims to reflect the spaces which are almost carved out of textiles.'

He added: 'It will be a flexible, 21st-century warehouse, with an inventive structure that makes a minimal intrusion on its historic surroundings.'

Funding permitting, the first phase of the project will start on site in 2009.

I realise this isn't Museum for Science and Industry but couldn't find any general Museum threads.

Just saw an a thread in the Liverpool forum called H.M.S Whimbrel. Talks about how an old convoy ship we used during second world war is being bought off the Egyptians and is going to be moored off the Mersey.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=466344

It would be a great extension to the IWMN if we could have something similar moored outside it!! Would really add to the exciting development of the quays!!

Anyone know if you could even get something like that up the ship canal anymore?

as far as i'm aware a ship of this size would go up the ship canal. it's only when you get to the super liners, oil tankers of modern times that the ship canal becomes worthless. i think 60 ft wide is a max.

...that ship is only 37.5 feet wide.

the locks on the ship canal are i believe 60 ft wide...

as far as i'm aware a ship of this size would go up the ship canal. it's only when you get to the super liners, oil tankers of modern times that the ship canal becomes worthless. i think 60 ft wide is a max.

...that ship is only 37.5 feet wide.

the locks on the ship canal are i believe 60 ft wide...

Cheers comdot, I knew medium size ships could get up the canal, didn't know if they could get as far as the quay though. You know if it could get under the Centenary Way bridge as well?

well there's a wikipedia article on the tariq 931/ hms wimbrel. dimensions etc are there. as for the bridge, this is all i know:

http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/manchester/msc005.jpg

sorry mate.

Bring back the Bronnington?

http://www.marinefunker.de/deu/images/g0ton-qsl_g.jpg

After more than a decade moored on the quays this ship was relocated to Birkenhead in July 2002, the very month IWMN opened to the public.

I'm led to believe that following the demise of the Warship Preservation Trust this ship (along with several others) is owned by Peel (well the Mersey Docks & Harbor Co). But like so many other things, I guess the barrier is money.

Science museum cash blow

THE planned redevelopment of Manchester's Museum of Science and Industry has been dealt a blow after a £15.6m funding bid was rejected.

Museum bosses had asked the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to stump up more than a quarter of the £54m needed for Revolution MoSI - a project aimed at turning the centre into an international attraction.

The ambitious scheme, unveiled in November, will create a new `world class' Museum Quarter in the city.

So far only £5m has been committed, although negotiations are under way with a number of funding bodies.

Tony Hill, acting director at MoSI admitted the decision by the lottery fund was a blow but said the project would continue.

"We are very disappointed but we always understood there was a chance that we would miss out," he said.

Dame Liz Forgan, HLF chairwoman, said: "This was an unusually competitive round as we enter a period in which we anticipate having considerably less money to give out."

Revolution MoSI suffered an earlier setback three weeks after it was announced, when Dr Ian Griffin, the international scientist at the museum's helm since 2004, unexpectedly quit.

And some observers have been privately critical of the size of the HLF application.

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1033740_science_museum_cash_blow

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=426&storycode=3105328&c=2&encCode=0000000001445bcc

Lottery blow to Manchester museum
1 February 2008

By Tom de Castella

City’s ‘Guggenheim’ ambitions felled as funds go to historic ships

Manchester’s attempt to create its own equivalent of a Guggenheim museum as a draw to visitors has been dealt a severe blow — failing in the last round of Heritage Lottery funding before the grant programme is slashed to pay for the Olympics.

Manchester’s Museum of Science and Industry (Mosi) had been seeking a grant of more than £15 million for a proposed £54 million extension, to be designed by David Dernie Associates.

But it lost out to two historic ships, the Mary Rose and the Cutty Sark, which together received £31 million.

The museum project, known as Revolution Mosi, is intended to make the city an “international design destination” by celebrating Manchester’s billing as the world’s first industrial city.

The new Revolution building was supposed to provide a visually striking focal point to unite the rambling 2.5ha site, which is made up of warehouses and the world’s oldest surviving passenger rail station.

The museum will now prioritise improving existing galleries and saving a threatened listed building rather than moving ahead with the new structure.

David Dernie, the designer behind the scheme and head of Manchester School of Architecture, said that the decision by the Heritage Lottery Fund was yet another blow to Manchester following the government’s U-turn on the city’s super-casino last year: “It’s got to be described as a blow,” he said. “We’re hoping it’s just a setback.”

But he added that the backing of the city council and the North West Development Agency meant that the scheme would still go ahead, albeit with a different timescale.

“This will affect progress, but I hope we will keep the momentum,” he said.

“It’s a sign of how difficult it is to get funding. A typical lottery bid deals in isolated buildings. This one deals with 800m of city and the sustainable development of a whole area of town.”

Tony Hill, acting director at Mosi, said: “We are very disappointed, but we always understood that in the pre-Olympics period there would be a chance we’d miss out.”

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/Pictures/web/h/g/g/manchester_ready.jpg

Yeah its clearly so unfair. The establishment spending our monies on establishment icons. I mean wasnt that boat insured ?

But sod them. Find the money from elsewhere and get it built as it will be a success.

Exactly , im sure Manchester could raise the 15m it would have had from the lotto , this would be a great asset to the city .

Many of the cultural institutions that we have remaining from our Victorian heyday were funded by public subscription and private philanthropy. It may not have been a perfect system but it generated civic pride (people felt a sense of ownership and responsibility over what they had helped bring about) and ensured that proposals had to be robust enough to overcome the publics' scepticism for funding projects with no tangible benefits. Urbis would have been greatly improved had it had to make its case to 30,000 local donors rather than a board on 10 semi-detached from Whitehall.

I'm not sure it's necessarilly a posibility for this project, but it is possibly something the council should be trying to encourage in general.

From the MEN:

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1062260_museum_boss_in_funding_push

Museum boss in funding push
Yakub Qureshi
13/ 8/2008

A FORMER Army colonel taking charge of Manchester's flagship museum has vowed to find the millions of pounds needed to carry out a massive refurbishment.

Ambitious plans were announced last year for a £55m revamp of the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry.

But the scheme suffered a heavy blow earlier this year when funding bosses sidelined the scheme in favour of another project.

The Heritage Lottery Fund had been tipped to meet quarter of the total costs - but instead the cash went to save the 16th century Mary Rose warship.

But the museum's new director, Steve Davies, has vowed that plans to revitalise the museum will continue, with some work beginning next year.

The upgrade will include transforming a currently disused market hall, behind Deansgate, into a useable space and a major upgrade of the museum's main building.

Mr Davies, 49, came from a modest family in Darwen, Lancashire, and enlisted in the Army as a private at the age 16.

He went on to work his way through the ranks, but maintained a keen interest in industrial heritage.

Speaking as he started his new post, he vowed that a further application to lottery bosses would meet with success and that efforts at attracting other funding were already under way.

Not just a soldier

He said: "I'm not just a soldier who has been put in charge the museum. An interest in industry and history has been in my DNA since I was born.

"The museum is vitally important because it tells the story of all the contributions that Manchester has made to the modern world. We want to tell that story in the best way possible.

"Our funding application has been sidelined, but no way is it finished. We will be exploring all options and arguing the case to everyone that a world-class museum will reap huge rewards. It will happen on my watch even if I have to stay here until I'm 80."

During his career, he helped manage the uneasy transition to democracy during the collapse of the Berlin wall and was a military attaché in Sarajevo and Sierra Leone, where in his spare time he helped found a railway museum which is now the country's top visitor attraction.

His last job was as Army chief of staff for Scotland and the north of England, in day-to-day charge of 20,000 troops.

The life-long steam rail enthusiast was a founding member of Liverpool Road Station Society which introduced the science museum in 1983.

He has two grown-up children, Harry, 19, and Katy, 17, with wife Ruth.

The museum, which encompasses several historic buildings including the world's first passenger railway station, is one of the region's top attractions.

Last year, visitor figures peaked at 819,104 and are expected to rise again this year.

Mr Davies, who officially stands down from the Army this week, said: "I've had 18 different homes in 25 years of married life. "My family are looking forward to a bit of peace and quiet for a while."

His appointment follows the surprise resignation of previous director Ian Griffin last year. Panel members praised the officer's business and government connections.

Steve Davies takes over at MOSI

Will the new director be the new broom the Museum of Science and Technology needs?

We were going to call it guerrilla renovation.

Manchester’s Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) has Grade I listed buildings of international importance, including the oldest railway station anywhere, with a collection to match, across several acres of prime city land. This in turn gives it the kudos to bring in temporary exhibitions such as Bodyworlds 4 which attracted more than 250,000 paying visitors in the first half of this year.

Clearly this 25 year old museum is a significant player on the UK heritage and cultural scene.

Yet it’s also a mess, a city embarrassment. Take a close look round the permanent exhibitions and you’ll find illegible signage, bits broken off and a general air of tiredness.

If a museum’s role is to explain, it fails when part of the explanation lies faded or rubbed out and has done for years. The worst areas are the gas and electricity galleries but there are problems all over the site. Other items just need a good dusting.

This is where Confidential was going to lend a guerrilla hand. We were going to sneak into galleries, find out what the original signs said, re-type, print and laminate them, then sneak back in and stick the replacements up. All for what: 20p a go? Our designer Kelly, who loves things shipshape, could have the place dusted and polished in a week.

Now we might not need to. MOSI has a new director, Steve Davies, ex military commander, full-time industrial enthusiast and a good-looking chap with a sparkle in his eye and an underlying steeliness. Davies brings a track record of strong leadership and a network of high profile contacts, including Government Ministers. He has a military background, most recently as the Chief of Staff Headquarters 2nd Division, based in Edinburgh . His responsibilities extended to around 250 central staff and some 20,000 troops. During his spare time in Sierra Leone Steve established the Sierra Leone National Railway Museum . He has strong links with the North West and was an original member of the Museum’s Liverpool Road Station Society.

He sounds like a fella who’s going to roll up his sleeves, get stuck in.

“I’m aware things aren’t as they should be in certain areas,” Davies says. “I was involved here at the beginning, as a volunteer, and some of the displays are exactly as they were 25 years ago. The out-of-date mannequins in the station building in period costume would be funny if they weren’t shaming - the wig of one keeps getting snatched off its head by kids.

We need to refresh the displays and maintain them. Even, as you say, sort out the cleaning which has been a health and safety issue given the size and complexity of say, the trains, in the Power Hall. But I’ll crack this.

“First off we’re going have a major spring clean, polish the brass, get it right. We have an ambition to be world-class and with the raw materials here that shouldn’t be a problem. But we have to show that attention to detail before we move on.”

So when will the displays start looking loved - by Christmas?

“You’ll see a lot of progress by then,” says Davies with a smile and without giving an exact date.

Good, that’s one problem nailed – sort of. Time to move on. So what are Davies’ other main jobs?

“We have to energise this museum at every level,” he says. “ You’ve mentioned the maintenance of the displays but we also have a lot more to do. We have to look at how we can use technology in explaining the exhibitions, become more relevant to today’s audience. I also want to see greater access to the collections, at present two thirds is hidden away.

“And I absolutely want to see more activity, we have to get more machines working, more demonstrations taking place. We’ve got our hands full. We have a strategy called Revolution MOSI plan which is all about opening out and improving the museum in lots of ways.”

The policy over the special exhibitions (big revenue earners for the museum) is another issue over which people have questioned the museum. Occasionally you wonder whether MOSI thinks of itself as a pier-end attraction not a museum.

Last year’s Dr Who exhibition was a case in point. It seemed to have precious little to do with what a museum of science and industry should be about. If anything it seemed like a scam to expand the audience. The fact that it was crap, over-priced and you were out in twenty minutes didn’t help either. You have to wonder whether those who came for Dr Who lingered long elsewhere on the site - in which case they might as well just pay for a different celebrity to sit in one of the galleries every week. People love celebrity don’t they? That’ll boost numbers.

“Modern museums have to provide education and entertainment,” says Davies. “We have to be strong on traditional values but we are publically funded, we have to draw in people who otherwise wouldn’t come in, these are government guidelines and something we’re committed to.

“But it’s true that we have to decide what the museum stands for. It’s a communication challenge. For me this means describing the role of Manchester in shaping the modern world, its place right at the heart of that. How do we tell that story and keep the momentum going with what we display and how we display it? “We are fundamentally not a venue for temporary exhibitions, we are about the permanent collections. With temporary exhibitions we have to consider how they are relevant and to what extent can we accept compromise.

So will there be more stuff with little connection to the museum’s theme of science and industry?

“That’s a matter of interpretation but we’ll see. My job is to put in a basic programme for the museum across all aspects of performance and then we have others, curatorial, exhibition staff, who will also have a major input.”

“At the same time,” Davies adds unexpectedly, “I want to give this museum a more active role in the city. We have to break down the walls. We are a free attraction (special exhibitions aside) and we should have easier access into the site. I see MOSI as a focus for the whole of Castlefield. Why can’t we have here an urban Beamish (the north-eastern industrial village museum – click here)? Our story is far more significant.”

But back to basics.

It’s a bore having to compare ourselves to London. But the display decay at MOSI simply wouldn’t be tolerated in the Science Museum. Let’s hope Steve Davies (the puns had to come didn’t they?) is in the frame to make a break with the recent past and pot that one first. Then he can move on with the big plans. Otherwise we’ll have to put that £20 laminator to use.

Still, he does seem like a man determined to make this happen .

“I want to get this right,” he says. “I’m in this for the duration. I’ll either get fired or retire from this job.”

http://www.manchesterconfidential.com/index.asp?Sessionx=IpqiNw86IlbrIHqiNwF6IHqi&realname=Steve_Davies_takes_over_at_MOSI

Why can’t we have here an urban Beamish (the north-eastern industrial village museum – click here)? Our story is far more significant.

^^ that sounds very good.

But i guess then that the planshttp://www.bdonline.co.uk/Pictures/web/h/g/g/manchester_ready.jpg above are out of the window.

Why can’t we have here an urban Beamish (the north-eastern industrial village museum – click here)?

My victorian slum museum that I'm waiting for? :happy:

MOSI enlists the firm behind BA's London Eye deal

The agency which set up British Airways' sponsorship of the London Eye is helping the Greater Manchester Museum of Science and Industry to find new sources of revenue.

MOSI has tasked London-based BDS Sponsorship with delivering cash or kind benefits of at least £1m per year.

Tony Hill, the museum's head of marketing and business development, said the money was needed to fund future growth and reduce reliance on the Department for Media Culture and Sport (DCMS).

He is hoping BDS will find major corporate backers in the telecoms or power sectors, which might include MOSI in their advertising campaigns or supply energy at a discount.

“DCMS cover our revenue spending but it may be that they won't be able to do that as much in the future if we continue to grow,” said Hill. “Anyway, it's not a good thing to have 80 per cent of your funding coming from one source.”

In January, MOSI suffered a setback when the Heritage Lottery Fund turned down an application for £15.6m towards its £54m rebuilding plans.

Hill said the ambitious scheme, involving a new building with a translucent membrane roof designed by architect David Dernie, was still a long term objective.

In the meantime, Drivers Jonas has been appointed to project manage a £2.25m reconfiguration of the main building which will see the conference and learning facilities moved to the top floor and an enlarged Experiment gallery relocated to the middle floor.

The next capital project will be a £14m revamp of the Air and Space Gallery and the conversion of the former Upper Campfield market hall into a new transport museum.

Talks on funding are under way with the Northwest Regional Development Agency and Manchester City Council.

The current buildings were designed for 250,000 visitors but in 2007 MOSI attracted 819,000. Since April, there have been 457,000 visits, with Body Worlds setting a new record for a visiting exhibition.

The Heritage Lottery fund said the MOSI project had faced stiff competition, including the Mary Rose Trust, which was awarded £21m for a permanent museum to house the remains of King Henry VIII's flagship.

http://www.crainsmanchesterbusiness.co.uk/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080901/FREE/309019994/-1/toc/-/-/mosi-enlists-the-firm-behind-bas-london-eye-deal

http://www.crainsmanchesterbusiness.co.uk/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080901/FREE/309019994/-1/toc/-/-/mosi-enlists-the-firm-behind-bas-london-eye-deal

I do like the idea of the new transport area in MOSI. The display should mix well with the existing displays and it will not only expand the museum significantly but also bring it more towards the city centre.

There already is a transport museum in Cheetham though? Anyone been? Could it be that they will move that one to MOSI or that they will run the transport part and move some of the exhibitions they offer, into the city centre?

These proposals would give presence to the 'faceless' former market buildings on Liverpool Road. They could be a real jewel in the crown, if they are transformed to a high standard.

bump

MOSI lobbies for return of £900,000 lost in bank collapse
By James Chapelard


Senior managers and Trustees from Manchester Museum of Science & Industry (MOSI) are the latest organisation to travel to the House of Commons tomorrow (May 12) to lobby for a full refund of the money which the organisation lost in the Icelandic banking collapse.

Museum Director, Steve Davies MBE and his management team are attending a meeting hosted by Manchester Central MP Tony Lloyd to press for charities, including MOSI and Disdbury-based cancer hospital Christies, to be refunded money lost. The museum had £900,000 on deposit at Icelandic bank Kaupthing Singer & Friedlander when it collapsed.

“The Treasury Select Committee has reviewed the matter and recommended that, in this instance, charities should be treated as special cases and compensated fully for their losses,” said Davies. “An Early Day Motion, signed by eight members of the committee and three other MPs, including Graham Brady, MP for Altrincham and Sale West has given the government until June 4 to make a decision. We are lobbying hard to press our case and keep the pressure on to make our voice heard,” he concluded.

MOSI lost £900,000 in last year’s banking crisis but the cash was not part of its core funds and had been earmarked for developing educational programmes which serve 100,000 schoolchildren every year, and for the refurbishment of its main building.

http://www.crainsmanchesterbusiness.co.uk/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090511/FREE/905119968/1009

[quote]
Revamp of Science museum underway

7 Dec 2009, 15:56

Michael Hunt

Construction on the £7m refurbishment of the Main Building at Manchester's Museum of Science & Industry has got underway.

The nine month project will see the former warehouse transformed to make better use of the available space and offer improved orientation for visitors.

As part of the redevelopment, a new gallery, known as Revolution Manchester, will be created on the ground floor. Revolution Manchester will display objects relating to the city's industrial and technological achievements, telling the story of Manchester's past, present and future.

Funding for the project has been confirmed from the European Regional Development Fund, which granted £2m, the North West Development Agency, which granted £2m, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Garfield Weston, SITA, and a number of other trusts and foundations.

The work includes the removal of the metal ramps cutting through the 130-year-old building, which takes up over 10,000 sq ft of space. The internal stairwells and lifts will also be moved onto the outside wall, freeing up more space inside the building.

A new main entrance will take visitors straight into the orientation area, rather than through the coffee shop as at present.

The restaurant and conferencing suite will be moved to the front of the building, on the first and second floors respectively, with larger kitchens and better facilities to cater for increased visitor numbers and conferencing guests.

The Experiment gallery will be expanded and moved from the second floor to the first floor, with its own dedicated space, complete with toilets, lockers and picnic areas.

Four new classrooms will be constructed to further develop the museum's educational programme which already benefits a total of 100,000 schoolchildren every year.

The boiler, which powers the museum's collection of working steam engines in the Power Hall will be moved from its current home in the basement of the Main Building, to make way for the construction work. Extra toilets and lockers will be installed in the basement.

Nick Brooks-Sykes, director of tourism at the NWDA, said: "The museum is already an excellent attraction but has huge promise to develop and to get more visitors through the doors. This level of investment seizes on that potential and will provide the sort of high quality visitor experience which will help the museum reach the figure of 1 million visitors. I am pleased that the NWDA and ERDF have been able to support such an ambitious project which will increase the museum's contribution to the regional economy and further cement the museum's position as a flagship tourism attraction in the Northwest."

The project is the first phase of Revolution MOSI, the museum's development plan, which will eventually include the redevelopment of the Air & Space Hall on Lower Byrom Street and a new Road Transport Gallery in Upper Campfield Market on Liverpool Road.

The ERDF programme is backed by the Programme Monitoring Committee which is a group of senior representatives from across the region. The Group was formed to monitor, oversee and advise on the delivery of the programme and proved invaluable to the development of the new fund.

The Museum of Science & Industry construction team includes:

Drivers Jonas - project management
Buttress Fuller Alsop Williams - architects
Gifford - structural engineers
Silcock Leedham - mechanical and electrical
Turner and Sons - main contractors
Simon Fenton Partnership - quantity surveyors
Redman Design - gallery design
Blueprint - restaurant/kitchen

http://www.placenorthwest.co.uk/news/archive/4943-revand-of-science-museum-underway.html

MOSI to get glassed in £7m refurb started

Big glass blocks to be stuck on to the main museum building – heavy or what?

This is how the £7 million refurbishment of the Main Building at MOSI (Museum of Science & Industry) will look when completed.

The nine month project which has just started will see the grade II listed former warehouse transformed to make better use of the available space and offer improved orientation for visitors. As part of the redevelopment, a new Revolution Manchester gallery will be created on the ground floor. This will display iconic objects relating to the city’s industrial and technological achievements, telling the story of Manchester past, present and future.

Museum Director, Steve Davies MBE, said: “MOSI currently attracts more than 700,000 visitors per year. However, although the Main Building is a wonderful example of the city’s industrial heritage, it was designed as a warehouse rather than a museum. As MOSI’s reputation grows, we now need to make better use of the space we have available to enable us to become a truly world-class cultural attraction, aiming for the magic one million visitors mark.”

Funding for the project has been confirmed from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) which granted £2million, the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) which granted £2million, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), Garfield Weston, SITA, and a number of other trusts and foundations.

The work will include the removal of the metal ramps which cut through the heart of the 130-year-old building, taking up over 1,000 m2 of space. The internal stairwells and lifts will also be moved onto the outside wall, freeing up more space inside the building.

A new main entrance will take visitors straight into the orientation area, rather than through the coffee shop as at present. They will then walk into the Revolution Manchester gallery where some of Manchester’s leading inventions and objects will be on display, acting as an orientation point between the museum’s various galleries. It will also provide a focal point for MOSI’s work with Industrial Powerhouse, which celebrates the North West’s rich industrial heritage through a range of attractions, events and trails.

The restaurant and conferencing suite will be moved to the front of the building, on the first and second floors respectively, with larger kitchens and better facilities to cater for increased visitor numbers and conferencing guests.

The popular hands-on Experiment gallery, which currently attracts thousands of children every year, will be expanded and moved from the second floor to the first floor, with its own dedicated space, complete with toilets, lockers and picnic areas.

Four new classrooms will be constructed to further develop the museum’s educational programme which already benefits a total of 100,000 schoolchildren every year.

The boiler, which powers the museum’s historic collection of working steam engines in the Power Hall will be moved from its current home in the basement of the Main Building, to make way for the construction work. Extra toilets and lockers will be installed in the basement.

David Shatwell, of architects Buttress Fuller Alsop Williams, said: “This is a fabulous opportunity to improve the visitor experience creating a stunning first impression for visitors and a clear new orientation space. By opening up many sections of the historic warehouse, we are expressing its true scale and architectural character, while providing a highly appropriate setting to a wide range of exhibits.”

All the above is from an exemplary press release which tells it as it is: aside from verbal diarrhoea from Mr Shatwell (ho, ho) with all those 'fabulous' and 'stunning' adjectives. And it is true that the ridiculous ramp in the Main Building is the most comprehensive waste of space in a building since the last 'Britain's Got Talent' auditions. What were BDP thinking in 1987?

But internal workings aside externally that pair of stairwell extensions in glass look forbidding. Take a look at the picture taken today and there's a nice rhythm to the 1880s building, of gable following gable. This will be destroyed by the heavy glass protrusions. The grim squared off look also seems to clash with the curved rear stairwell by Austin Smith Lord in 2000 – glimpsed at the back of the building in both views here. Maybe there should have been some thought to continuing that motif in the new work?

Still working with listed buildings must often lead to compromise. Confidential thinks in this case that the need to get the main building and that ramp sorted was the greater priority.

Another interesting contrast is provided by the massive plans for Revolution MOSI a couple of years ago – plans which came at the wrong time and were deemed too ambitious at £54m. The illustration shows how fantastical, in an appealing way, they were.

Incidentially the present project is the first phase of the second attempt at a more conservative Revolution MOSI, which will eventually include the redevelopment of the Air & Space Hall on Lower Byrom Street and a new Road Transport Gallery in Upper Campfield Market on Liverpool Road.

http://www.propertyconfidential.com/index.asp?Sessionx=IpqiNwc6IWToJ0qiNwF6IHqi&frombounce=yes

http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/9859/mosi2.jpg

What happened to the original design?

What happened to the original design?

Lack of money/ may still happen in Phase 2 or 3

A piece of the action...sort of

Sleuth with reference to the above story recalls how when the Hacienda was dismantled souvenir seekers were allowed to buy the bricks and tiles with which it had been constructed. As they had with pieces of the Berlin Wall. Now you can do it again in Manchester. This from the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) in Manchester’s website following the start of refurbishment works: ‘Own your own piece of MOSI history! Small sections taken from the fabric of the building will be available as limited edition collector’s items at the end of the project. Beautifully mounted and stamped with the MOSI logo, these will be a unique memento of one of Manchester’s best-loved tourist attractions. Register your interest by emailing memento@mosi.org.uk.’ Sleuth hopes the museum can cope with the rush.

http://www.manchesterconfidential.com/index.asp?Sessionx=IpqiNwIjNwXqJDJ6IHqjNwB6IA&realname=Sleuth%2011/12/09

MEN.

The Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) in Manchester is set to become part of the National Science Museum.

The M.E.N has learned that crunch talks are in advanced stages and an announcement is due within weeks.

The move, to make MOSI part of the 'National Museums' family of museums and galleries, is expected to bring a change of management at the popular visitor attraction, which opened in 1969 and occupies the former railway station site in Liverpool Road, Castlefield.

The change will place MOSI under the wing of the National Museum of Science and Industry, which includes London's famous Science Museum.

The organisation is part of a group twhich also includes the National Gallery, British Museum, Natural History Museum and the Tate art gallery, as well as some of the country's leading regional attractions.

Culture chiefs in the city have been keen to explore ways to boost MOSI's appeal and make the most of the museum by drawing in more visitors and better exhibitions that build on Manchester's rich science and technology heritage.

It is understood they would hope to retain significant local representation on the museum's board to oversee its running.

The news of a merger comes a year after the government announced it was scrapping funding for museums, including MOSI, that are not officially classed as 'national collections', leaving them with a race to find new sponsorship.

Peter Fell, the interim chairman, said: "The MOSI trustees are currently exploring the long term benefits that would result from a merger.

“MOSI trustees need to be satisfied that the new arrangements will ensure the long-term sustainability of this great museum in Manchester.

“A lot of detailed work still needs to be done before a final decision is made and I hope to make an announcement shortly."

A spokesman for the National Science Museum said they had nothing further to add but that the two organisations were working together closely.

MOSI's exhibits include a replica of 'The Baby' - the world's first computer invented at Manchester University - and significant railway and locomotive collections.

In 2008, it hosted the hugely successful Body Worlds exhibition, drawing in record visitor numbers.

The M.E.N reported in February that visitor numbers at the museum had

dropped by a quarter as it underwent a multi-million pound redevelopment last year.