All hands on deck at Maritime Museum

The National Maritime Museum yesterday unveiled its new Leopold Muller Education Centre designed by Building Design Partnership, with its main feature a ú400 000 gallery by Land Design Studio.

The centre occupies a wing of the Greenwich Museum. BDP has designed a 150-seat lecture theatre, seminar rooms, and masterplan. Land created graphics and exhibition design for the 1500m2 permanent gallery entitled All Hands and aimed at children.

Land won the job in an unpaid pitch against JJA Рwhich has designed concepts for the planned ̼14m Neptune Hall (DW 27 January) Рand two other groups.

Land director Peter Higgins claims the gallery is unique in its fusion of interactive displays and historical objects. “Usually the interactive section is separated from the objects, but we wanted to encourage children to have close contact with ship models and cannonballs by using interactive devices, such as navigating a boat into harbour,” he comments.

The exhibition incorporates weevil-ridden ship’s biscuits, ancient charts, dried fish and telescopes. Land has designed peepholes, drawers, and hinges which can be lifted so children can “piece together history themselves”, explains Higgins.

The logo shows three sailors pulling on ropes to convey “an `All Hands’ team effort”, he adds.