Daniel Libeskind - Imperial War Museum

Daniel Libeskind
Imperial War Museum
Manchester, UK

The design concept is based on the globe, broken into three fragments to depict the shattering effect of war on the history of the world.

Photo: arcspace

The Imperial War Museum is located on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal, on the Trafford wharfside of Salford Quays.
The steel-framed aluminum clad building is composed of free-flowing forms and asymmetric geometry.
The three fragments, or "Shards", are structurally interlocked to represent world conflict on land, water and in the air.

Photo: arcspace

Visitors enter through the Air Shard, which is 55 meters high and open to the elements. The tower construction of criss-crossing steel beams, 4.5 degrees off the vertical, incases the elevator, leading to a viewing platform 29 meters in the air, and the cement tower containing the staircase. The views across the Manchester Ship Canal to Manchester city centre are spectacular...looking down through the meshed steel floor is rather scary

Photo: arcspace'

Photo: arcspace

The curved Earth Shard houses the main public areas of the Museum - the Main Exhibition Space and the Special Exhibition Gallery. The gallery floors are curved, to experience the curvature of the earth, the lighting is low-key.

Photo: arcspace

Photo courtesy IWM

Photo: arcspace

The IWM is furnished with iconic objects that include an AV8a Harrier jump-jet, the artillery piece that fired the first British shell of the First World War and a Russian T34 tank.

Photo: arcspace

The Water Shard, overlooking the Manchester Ship Canal, contains the restaurant and a café.

Photo: arcspace

Plan courtesy IWM

Visit the Image Library to download larger images.

Total site area: 5 acres
Total area: 9,000 square meters

Completed: 2002

Client: IWM
Architect: Studio Daniel Libeskind
Associate Architect: Leach Rhodes Walker, Manchester

Acoustic Consultant: Arup Acoustics, Cambridge
Mechanical & Electrical: Connell Mott MacDonald, Croydon

Structural Engineer: Ove Arup Partners, London/Manchester
Main Contractor: Sir Robert McAlpine, Manchester

KK Letter Between Liverpool and Manchester

Daniel Libeskind arcspace features

April 18, 2005





				Features
		Daniel Libeskind Imperial War Museum Manchester, UK The design concept is based on the globe, broken into three fragments to depict the shattering effect of war on the history of the world. Photo: arcspace The Imperial War Museum is located on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal, on the Trafford wharfside of Salford Quays. The steel-framed aluminum clad building is composed of free-flowing forms and asymmetric geometry. The three fragments, or "Shards", are structurally interlocked to represent world conflict on land, water and in the air. Photo: arcspace Photo: arcspace Visitors enter through the Air Shard, which is 55 meters high and open to the elements. The tower construction of criss-crossing steel beams, 4.5 degrees off the vertical, incases the elevator, leading to a viewing platform 29 meters in the air, and the cement tower containing the staircase. The views across the Manchester Ship Canal to Manchester city centre are spectacular...looking down through the meshed steel floor is rather scary Photo: arcspace' Photo: arcspace The curved Earth Shard houses the main public areas of the Museum - the Main Exhibition Space and the Special Exhibition Gallery. The gallery floors are curved, to experience the curvature of the earth, the lighting is low-key. Photo: arcspace Photo courtesy IWM Photo: arcspace The IWM is furnished with iconic objects that include an AV8a Harrier jump-jet, the artillery piece that fired the first British shell of the First World War and a Russian T34 tank. Photo: arcspace Photo: arcspace Photo: arcspace The Water Shard, overlooking the Manchester Ship Canal, contains the restaurant and a café. Photo: arcspace Plan courtesy IWM Visit the Image Library to download larger images. Total site area: 5 acres Total area: 9,000 square meters Completed: 2002 Client: IWM Architect: Studio Daniel Libeskind Associate Architect: Leach Rhodes Walker, Manchester Acoustic Consultant: Arup Acoustics, Cambridge Mechanical & Electrical: Connell Mott MacDonald, Croydon Structural Engineer: Ove Arup Partners, London/Manchester Main Contractor: Sir Robert McAlpine, Manchester KK Letter Between Liverpool and Manchester Daniel Libeskind arcspace features April 18, 2005