Welcome Wall

Have you wondered what goes into designing and constructing a bespoke sculptural element like the Welcome Wall in the Museum’s Forecourt?

One of the key factors was assembling a team of highly talented professionals who had the imagination and expertise to create an experience that would be welcoming, fun and engaging.

The design of the sculptural mirror wall was created by ARM Architecture. It is based on a virtual extension of one of the strings that merge to create the Boolean knot which forms the Gandel Atrium.

Before the Museum approved the design, sun studies were carried out on the design model to ensure that it would be oriented so as not to catch any sun.

The steel structure within the wall was designed by local engineers TTW, and was pinned underground to firmly fix the lean and weight of the wall in place.

During the process of construction, the wall was regularly checked by engineers to ensure that the structure was being built in accordance with the design. This process was carried out by both TTW and the certifier, CBS.

Next the really tricky work began to clad the structure. The head contractor, Regal Innovations, with their expert steel team, TTM, made a prototype and created templates for every panel of the wall.

During this phase the team had to constantly tweak the steel to make it smooth and seamless. They even had to make bespoke jigs to fit onto the lifting equipment to hold the panels in position until they were firmly set in place.

The final step was to fix the grow wall element to the rear face. Over the coming years, this will provide a stunning display of the Muehlenbeckia adpressa plant.

We hope that the Welcome Wall becomes a favourite place for people to pause and reflect on the space around them.