Manchester Museum - Alfred Waterhouse Building

Brief

This exciting project involved the renovation of the study area on the third floor of this historic, grade II listed, 1885, Alfred Waterhouse building for Manchester Museum, part of The University of Manchester. The historic space has been opened up and original features meticulously restored alongside new bespoke furniture designed by Ben Kelly Design (BKD) and state of the art equipment, such as a video microscope capable of sharing still images to Twitter, installed. The entire top floor was reimagined as a space designed to spark wonder, curiosity and a passion for research in all Museum visitors. 

Solution

After weeks of close collaboration between BKD Design,  Wilson Mason Architects and Frem Group’s in house designers, the team arrived at the optimum solution to meet the Museum’s requirements. 

Frem Group’s manufacturing team put their extensive knowledge into applying specialist materials, resulting in a large number of specialist LED illuminated cabinets for showcasing and protecting invaluable historic artefacts from humidity and moisture using desiccant protection. 

Frem Group also provided a selection of study benching with built in power and height adjustable desk frames for ease of use, share chair arrangements with LED illuminated book storage at the rear, a curator’s booth, display walls and poster units used in various areas around the Museum.