Arup supporting design of Salisbury Plain Heritage Centre

The Royal Artillery Museum has hired Arup to support the design process of the Salisbury Plain Heritage Centre. The new centre will see the Royal Artillery Museum move from London to Larkhill, into a brand new 6.000m2 space. The new space will contain an interactive collection aimed at a range of community and public stakeholders, covering the more than 300 year history of the British Gunners.

The Salisbury Plain Heritage Centre will house the Royal Artillery Museum which is moving from London to Larkhill. The new centre, a 6.000m2 museum, will provide the collection with indoor and outdoor galleries, temporary exhibitions as well as spaces for demonstrations, activities and education groups. The new centre will also provide additional amenities, including a shop, a café, a children’s play area, a bandstand, a garden (free entry) and a restaurant with panoramic views. The aim of the relocation is to provide visitors with the possibility of engaging with Briton’s military history, natural heritage and archaeological features of the Plain – where the Royal Artillery has been trained for over a century.

The interactive collection, aimed at a range of community stakeholders, itself explores the story of the Gunners’ 300 year old heritage – showcasing the services of some of the more than 2.5 million men and women that served in the regiment. The museum’s content will be brought to life through interpretation and re-enactments, firing demonstrations, interactive displays and temporary exhibition. The collection will further provide insights into the ecology, archaeology and history of Salisbury Plain – the centre itself is located six minutes from the World Heritage Site of Stonehenge.

Royal Artillery Museums has appointed Arup to provide a number of construction technical engineering services, including structural, civil, geotechnical, mechanical, electrical and public health engineering for the building. Additional services include the landscape architecture services for the new museum. The project is currently in its design phase, with submission planned for early 2017.

Daniel Birch, Project Manager at Arup, reflects that the project is “really is a team effort,” further stating that the consultancy is “working closely with RAML and Purcell to produce a design for the museum that will allow it to sit sympathetically in this unique site of ecological and archaeological importance.” He adds: “We are excited to be part of such a unique project and to help realise this vision.”