The National Army Museum has unveiled its dramatic transformation and reopens to the public on 30 March after a three year redevelopment programme.

A full interdisciplinary team from BDP designed the proposals which involved a substantial re-ordering of the 1970s building to create a world class museum achieving maximum accessibility and significantly enhancing the visitor experience. 

The museum houses the national collections of the Land Forces of the Crown, which tells the story of the British Army and its impact on Britain, Europe and the world through a series of thematic displays. 

The project delivers 2,200 sqm of exhibition space across six permanent galleries plus a new temporary exhibition gallery. In addition, education and learning spaces, café, retail and both front and back of house support spaces are provided.

Our challenge has been to develop a design that provides a dramatic enhancement of the museum experience, but which is also sympathetic to the local context in both character and scale of development.

Internally the major change has been the introduction of a naturally lit central atrium that runs from the front to the rear of the building. The atrium is staggered across all floors to create a dynamic space that opens up vistas into and through the depth of the building, providing the visitor with a central point of orientation from which all the main galleries and public facilities are visible. 

Tim Leach architect director at BDP said “The creative adaptation of this major UK museum presents a wonderful opportunity to re-order the building, redisplay the collections and communicate the significance of the army story to a wider audience.”

BDP was architect, all engineering, lighting, acoustics, landscape and interior designer for the £23.75m project, working with Event the exhibition design agency.