Designs of a £54m redevelopment of the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) in Manchester have been unveiled.
The proposed Revolution MOSI project aims to overhaul and expand the existing museum by converting nearby former passenger railway station warehouses and buildings dating back to 1830 into eco-friendly venues, spread over a 2.5-hectare site to be called the Museum Quarter.
The new venue will comprise four galleries: Revolution Manchester; Sound and Vision (the development of Manchester’s creative industries); Xperiment (an interactive science gallery for children) and Science Alive! (showcasing cutting edge scientific and technological developments).
In addition, two of the existing museum buildings will be redeveloped to provide the Air & Space Gallery, while a current storage area will become the Road Transport Gallery.
Ian Griffin, director of MOSI, said: “The project will create an internationally renowned attraction to make science and industry inspiring and fun.
“The newly redeveloped MOSI will create a modern museum, while transforming an under-appreciated area into a vibrant new quarter with its own distinct character.
“The region’s world-changing inventions, such as the AVRO Triplane (Britain’s first aeroplane to fly), Arkwright’s water frame and ‘Baby’ (the first stored program computer), will be displayed in the gallery.”
The newly revamped MOSI will also incorporate an education centre for science as well as a modern conference centre seating more than 750 guests.
Phase one of the development will begin in 2009 and include construction of the new eco building and redevelopment of the two existing galleries.
Later phases will reinstatement the original Liverpool Road railway station, platforms and 1830 warehouse building, as part of a wider scheme to develop the museum site as part of an urban park linked by water transport.
It is anticipated that the new development will double the current number of annual visitors to one million.
Funding applications have been submitted to Heritage Lottery Fund, North West Development Agency, Wellcome Foundation and Garfield Western.
The new building – designed by architect David Dernie – will be constructed with the same material used in the domes of the Eden Project, featuring translucent, light-weight columns to link with the cotton industry, photovoltaic cells on the roof to help supply the museum’s electricity and lily-shaped funnels to collect and recycle rainfall for grey water use around site.
