The transformation of the public atrium and adjacent galleries for a national museum in Yorkshire.

The Royal Armouries is the UK's National Museum of Arms and Armour with one of the oldest and largest collections of arms and armour in the world. We won the design competition to redevelop the Street, the public atrium running through the museum, that connects the public entrance, retail and conference facilities with the galleries upstairs.

Removing the painted plaster from the six storeys of the space revealed the in-situ concrete construction, replacing the previous similarities to a shopping mall with a raw, intense castle-like hall.

Gold leaf, gold maille and heraldic surface treatments were introduced to enrich the space, combining wayfinding with new associations.

International design competition. First Prize. Built.