U Boat Exhibition
U Boat Exhibition
“The U-boat Story is a £5m attraction telling the story of World War II German submarine U-534. You will see into the cross-sectioned submarine and discover its amazing story through a highly interactive and exciting exhibition ”
http://www.uboatstory.co.uk/
Client
Merseytravel
Project
Visitor Centre
Value
£5m / €5.7m
Rate valid as of 20.04.2010
Requirement
A decommissioned German U-boat U-534 has been rescued by Merseytravel, which owns and operates the Mersey Ferries. One of only four remaining in the world the German U-boat has opened to the public as a visitor attraction on Liverpool Docks.
It now forms part of a wider exhibition explaining the link between the ferries and the history of underwater warfare. The U Boat forms part of the purpose built visitor centre, an extension to the existing ferry terminal.
Jefferson Sheard worked with Merseytravel and Real Studios to design the visitor exhibition centre. The ship is now the star attraction of the centre and includes various interactive exhibits, audio visual shows and interpretative materials that fully explain the story of theU-534.
Our Solution
The proposed location of the four sections and visitor centre was developed from a number of considerations.
- Its relationship to existing ferry buildings.
- How to fit the U-boat into the restricted site.
- How to maximise pedestrian access to the U-boat.
- How it relates to the existing topography.
- How to transport it from its former location to the new site.
- How to link the display areas to the operational areas of the ferry terminal and maintain a controlled environment.
- Its relationship to the surrounding office developments.
- Its relationship to the Mersey.
From this we identified three elements of the design which we thought essential to the success of the tourist attraction:
- Integration into the existing facilities.
- The attraction of visitors to the location by a strong yet unobtrusive architectural form.
- A user-friendly facility which has a simple but clear movement pattern which is easily controlled by existing staffing levels.
The main design challenge was the relocation of ‘U-534'. For technical reasons the boat was cut into sections for transportation by water to its new site using a floating crane. These separate sections have been finished with glazed panels over the end of each section which allows visitors to see inside the submarine from specially built viewing platforms.
Movement within the space is created by means of a number of ramps which allow the visitor to engage with the submarine but also offers full access to all areas.
Formerly part of the Historic Warships Museum on Merseyside, the U-534 scheme complements the wider regeneration of the Woodside area.