The National Maritime Museum is a renowned part of the Greenwich World Heritage Site and yet many visitors make their way up the hill into Greenwich Park to the equally famous Royal Observatory, thereby missing out on the Museum.
In 2008 Churchman Landscape Architects were appointed to work with C F Møller Architects in proposing a new Wing and entrance to the Museum. The aim was to provide new exhibition facilities, orientate the existing Thames facing entrance to the rear, and in doing so generate a positive relationship with Greenwich Park.
Director of Churchman’s, Chris Churchman says the Museum, encouraged by English Heritage, were looking for a strong landscape focus to the design. We worked alongside lead consultant C F Møller’s in developing the overall site planning. Firstly there was a strong emphasis on opening and clarifying the landscape to encourage visitors into the museum site; the establishment of a strong east-west axis that connects the Sammy Ofer Wing, Greenwich Park and the Queens House were seen as being key in achieving this. The architectural proposals are informed by this and a respectfully low profile building was developed that is embedded within a strongly defined landscape framework inspired by Andre Le Notre’s geometries and gestures of Greenwich Park. Landscape and architecture are blended in a seamless composition; 300 pre-trimmed Hornbeam trees form sections of the building frontage so that the view from Greenwich Park is largely green.
The landscape proposals were complicated by the need to tie the new Sammy Ofer Wing into the existing South West Wing floor levels. The new entrance is set two metres below existing ground level with routes onto the new podium roof involving similar level changes. These were dealt with using gently sloping planes of paving and grass sliding past stone walls and the tightly clipped hornbeam hedges, all detailed by Churchman.
Water flows through two features that are woven into the composition and take full advantage of the level changes; a 160m long rill delineates the east-west axis and guides visitors into the heart of the museum site and a stone stepping water cascade, inspired by the cascade at Chatsworth House, connects lawns and the entrance terrace. The site and, most importantly, sound of running water were fundamental in making these features come to life. Water experts OCMIS were appointed to develop Churchman’s initial concepts, with detailed design and delivery by Ustigate. The rill and cascade have been hugely popular with children and have been a major attraction of the Museum during the summer months.
The existing herbaceous border that delineates the Museum and Park was extended to run the full length of the Museum site and re-planted with swathes of effervescent flowering perennials and swaying grasses.
Chris concludes, “This has certainly been one of the most important projects we’ve been involved with in our 18 years as a practice. Previous projects include the Millennium Seed Bank, the Tower of London and the University of Warwick, but this is definitely the most significant project in which we’ve had such significant authorship”
“The client is very pleased with the completed scheme although as with any building project there were times during construction where there was pressure to pare back the landscape. Thankfully this was resisted and I am delighted by what we have achieved and am proud to have been associated with it. As a small practice to have achieved something as prestigious as this is fantastic”.
Much of Churchman Landscape Architects work is in the South-East of England and London with projects across the country, the West and also Scotland.
For further information please telephone 0208 891 0007 or visit www.churchmanlandscapearchitects.co.uk
