THE ESTATE AND THE MASTERPLAN The South Kensington estate that we see today is an amalgamation of ideas and approaches (and sometimes compromises) between architect, manager and scientist. The result was a labour of love for all concerned; the constraints conferred upon the modern Museum by its founders are the accompaniments to a visionary, (if occasionally idiosyncratic) architectural endeavour. Alfred Waterhouse designed in a style that gives the building a monumental feel – indeed the new-Romanesque features and layout prompted many references to a ‘Cathedral of Natural History’. The site today includes a number of late additions to Alfred Waterhouse’s original building of 1873 – 1881. The Masterplan takes a site-wide perspective in its ongoing plan with a view to enhancing the cohesiveness of the site. The significant later additions, such as the Whale Hall (1929 – 1932), the Geological Museum (1929 – 1935) and the more recent Palaeontology building (1973 – 1976) and Darwin Centre (Phase 1 1997 – 2001; Phase 2 2001 – 2010) are predominantly self-contained facilities, connected as extensions to the original building. Waterhouse’s grid-like planning system continues to exert a strong influence on the movement of visitors and arrangement of the collection. Despite the underlying elegance of the main building, and the heritage significance of many of the later additions, the modern day visitor can find it difficult to use the whole Museum and many part are alternately crowded or empty. The next 25 years will witness the transformation of our South Kensington building, At each stage of the transformation we will improve the fabric and infrastructure of our estate to meet the needs of our activities and audiences. We will also invest in systems and technology that make us more effective at managing information and mobilising our data to enrich global scientific knowledge. The Masterplan will support the objectives of the Museum Strategy, by providing the Museum with the improved physical infrastructure and public spaces to deliver a required step change in the visitor experience, absorbing more focus on collections storage, infrastructure and visitor facilities. Increasing exhibition space and opening up new circulation routes will be matched by the relocation of (and improvements to) galleries, and the development of a new Earth and Planetary Sciences Centre and Members Room. These developments represent a major investment encompassing a range of projects, from new major research facilities to caring for the building’s fabric. In parallel the Museum is exploring the possibility of using offsite storage to ensure suitable care for its collections and thereby release more space at the South Kensington site for public use. The Museum has an impressive tradition of making a positive virtue of the constraints of the architectural heritage. The objective of the Masterplan is to make the estate work better, respecting the heritage of the whole as well as the constituent parts while addressing the pressures and needs that the modern Museum faces.
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