National Museums Liverpool (NML) has chosen Adjaye Associates to create the architectural design for the £57 million redevelopment of Liverpool’s International Slavery Museum and Maritime Museum.
Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA), a multidisciplinary firm specialising in the planning and design of museums, exhibits, educational environments and visitor attractions, will lead the exhibition design.
The project will transform the International Slavery Museum from a “collection of galleries into a prominent museum”, according to National Museums Liverpool.
“This project presents us with an opportunity to reimagine the historic fabric of this Grade I-listed building and to reposition it within the powerful context of Liverpool’s waterfront and its relationship to the transatlantic slave trade,” said David Adjaye, founder of Adjaye Associates (via Dezeen).
“We eagerly anticipate collaborating with National Museums Liverpool, the wider project team and the local community in an inclusive co-production process that places the descendants of people impacted by Liverpool’s maritime history at the heart of the conversation and emerging museum experience.”
£57 million redevelopment
Located at the Royal Albert Dock, the International Slavery Museum can be found on the third floor of the Hartley Pavilion, a historic warehouse designed by Jesse Hartley. The Maritime Museum is housed within the same building.
In addition to a renovation of the Hartley Pavilion, the International Slavery Museum will be expanded into the neighbouring Grade I-listed Dr Martin Luther King Jr building.
“There has never been a more important time to address the legacies of the transatlantic slave trade and the redevelopment of the International Slavery Museum symbolises our and our region’s commitment to confronting the significant role the city played in British imperialism,” said National Museums Liverpool director Laura Pye.
“Together, we will honour Liverpool’s waterfront as a sacred ground – a place that reverberates with the sights, sounds and souls of all those connected to its global history,” said Ralph Applebaum Associates director Phillip Tefft.
Elsewhere, Tate Liverpool has selected 6a architects to transform the gallery’s spaces. The £25 million refurbishment project will increase the institution’s visibility on the waterfront and the Albert Dock.
