Project spotlight.

V&A East Storehouse.

LONDON

The Victoria & Albert Museum East Storehouse has recently opened. This project saw our ICT and AV design teams work together to deliver a new warehouse and museum space.

The storehouse itself is a true treasure trove – home to more than half a million works. It showcases the importance of safe spaces for much loved artwork – with the investment being to not only protect the works, but to also let them shine to fans from around the world.

The space offers unprecedented public access to 250,000 objects, 350,000 books, and 1,000 archives from the V&A. It aims to remove the barriers that epitomise museums of old and lets visitors roam the gantries while forklift trucks are moving right beneath their feet. It brings the fine art of 'fine art conservation' to life as curators unpack priceless artefacts while visitors watch.

Its design included the overhaul of a large section of the Here East hangar – an industrial media complex originally built as the broadcasting centre for the 2012 London Olympics. The space is open and active, with the Weston Collections Hall being the centrepiece. There is a public route across three floors, reaching a height of over 20 metres. In the middle there is a section of glass flooring with a view of the Agra Colonnade and working store below.

Magnus Leask, comments,

“In a space as large as this warehouse, being able to properly view the exhibits is key for visitors to experience a new way of interacting with museum artefacts. Our innovative and tech-forward approach to AV and ICT works perfectly with the space and we are sure will continue to inspire and delight new audiences for many years to come.”