A radical, ‘once-in-a-generation’ transformation of the National Science and Media Museum, a cultural cornerstone of Bradford City of Culture 2025.

The former National Museum of Photography, Film & Television opened in 1983 with seven floors of permanent galleries and three cinemas, including Europe's first opened IMAX screen. Based in Bradford, one of the UK’s youngest and most diverse cities, it was one of the first national museums outside London and pioneered the approach to breaking barriers between collections and visitors with interactive galleries and displays. Today it remains one of the most visited museums in the north of England.

In 2022 AOC won the design competition for the museum's 'Sound and Vision' redevelopment project. Through collaborative design with diverse stakeholders we developed a masterplan, reimagining the visitor experience and improving museum operations. The masterplan includes the reconfiguration of the entrance foyer creating a new public space, a new lift and two floors of permanent galleries.

In the new galleries, visitors will be able to find stories that resonate with them, showing how all areas of the collection – from photography to gaming – are embedded in every aspect of our lives, inspiring the next generation of creatives, inventors and scientists. We worked closely with community groups across the district to inform the development of new displays, making the museum's collections more relevant and meaningful to a twenty-first century audience.

NSMM and AOC architecture worked closely in securing the funds for the project. The Sound and Vision Project has been made possible thanks to the generous support of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund 2022-24, Bradford Metropolitan District Council and the Science Museum Group.

Design competition. First Prize. Opening 2025.