Chelmsford Museum, Essex
Located in a grade II Listed Victorian villa and its grounds, Chelmsford Museum and Oaklands Park are a popular local amenity. The £5M extension, funded by Chelmsford Borough Council, provides a new entrance and climate controlled display areas for the industrial collection, temporary exhibition & Essex Regiment Museum, as well as an education suite, office, workshop and toilets. The external envelope is built partly in cream brick, complementing the original construction, and elsewhere
overlaid with zinc shingles, which reflect the ambient light and colours.
Although the extension doubles the area of the museum, the treatment of the massing and envelope are designed to reduce the apparent volume.
The double height portico and glazed entrance gallery,
bridge link to the villa and York stone paving
create a dynamic space between the old and
new buildings, the museum and the park.
Displays in
the park and on the exterior of the
museum promote an integrated
experience of both.
The design
achieves
a high
environmental standard,
with features including enhanced
thermal
insulation, a
ground source heat pump and rainwater harvesting.
