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The Ulster museum

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History and design

In the autumn of 1913, an open competition was announced for the building of the Belfast Municipal Museum and Art Gallery. In May 1914, the winning design was confirmed to be that of James Cumming Wynnes of Edinburgh. Its neoclassical design consisted of a central courtyard surrounded by four wings, and was in keeping with the concept of the museum as a "temple". The proposed entrance façade, overlooking the Botanic Gardens to the north, consisted of a gigantic Ionic colonnade comparable to Edward VII's Burnet Gallery in the British Museum.

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The Ulster museum

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Sustainability

Ulster museum operations emitted 2,004 tonnes of CO2 emissions for direct and indirect emissions in 2018/19, according to a baseline carbon audit. In 2021/22, Its emissions have been calculated as 1,872t CO2. Carbon reduction is now one of ulster museums lead environmental sustainability key performance indicators in their annual business plan.

Ulster museum is committed to a 50% reduction in direct and indirect emissions by 2030 in alignment with the 2015 Paris Accord.

Ulster Museum will use the Natural Sciences collection to educate visitors about the importance of biodiversity, ecosystem preservation, and the impact of human activities on the environment.

Ulster Museum are collaborating with  partner organisations like the Centre for Environmental Data and Recording, Bug life Northern Ireland, the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland , researchers and other conservation organisations to study and document biodiversity, track species distribution and population trends and monitor environmental changes over time. This research can contribute to better understanding of ecosystems and aid in the development of conservation strategies.

The reawakening project they are apart of are new buildings that will be in tune with both the finest contemporary aesthetics and the best sustainable practice.

Ulster Museum will use the Natural Sciences collection to educate visitors

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https://www.archiseek.com/2007/francis-pym-ulster-museum-belfast/

https://architecture.arthistoryresearch.net/architects/wynnes-james-cumming

https://www.scottisharchitects.org.uk/architect_full.php?id=203583

https://www.dia.ie/architects/view/5762/wynnes%2C+James+Cumming+%23

https://www.nationalmuseumsni.org/sustainability

https://www.ulstermuseum.org/

https://www.belfastcity.gov.uk/things-to-do/tropical-ravine/history-of-the-tropical-ravine

https://www.ulstermuseum.org/history-galleries

https://makingthefuture.eu/news/joe-caslin-artwork-transforms-ulster-museum-following-participant-led-programme

https://www.britishcouncil.ie/events/ulster-museum-evolution-amidst-revolution

http://www.npg.org.uk/

http://www.architecturalrecord.com/

https://www.npg.org.uk/assets/files/pdf/events/npg_inspiring_people_public_consultation.pdf

https://www.npg.org.uk/assets/files/pdf/corporate/busplan20172027.pdf

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Francis Pym's cubist sculptural tour de force, completed in 1971, is internationally renowned for its daring and prescient splicing together of old and new and for what the architectural historian David Evans calls the almost barbaric power of its great cubic projections and cantilevers brooding over the conifers of the Botanic Gardens like a mastodon."

The English historian Mark Girouard has likened the Ulster Museum as a whole to one of those incomplete Michelangelo statues in which a "highly finished torso emerges out of a block of rough hewn marble."

Not many people have ever loved the Ulster Museum. The effect of the north-facing, brutalist concrete entrance façade is undoubtedly sombre, even if compensated by the setting of trees and lawns in the Botanic Gardens. Inside, a free spatial flow of air-conditioned, artificially lit galleries made from concrete, glass and black Pirelli rubber ascends in a helical arrangement that could, if the building were only respected, produce a series of dramatic and varied interiors.

There are problems of access that need urgent attention. There are leaks and it is hard to close off the temporary galleries, which form part of the museum's main visitor circuit. More revenue needs to be generated through a better shop and café. But there are also bigger, curatorial, problems caused by a museum policy that seems driven by the number of exhibits on display - a hopeless task anyway, given the museum's collection of 875,000 exhibits - rather than the quality of the viewer experience. A new approach is needed, but the current plan will only make things worse.

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Proposed west and north elevations, 1914

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Following the outbreak of World War One, the construction of the museum was postponed indefinitely. Building only commenced in 1924, having been delayed by political upheavals – War of Independence, civil war, partition and the births of Northern Ireland and the Irish Free State. When the museum finally opened its doors on 22 October 1929 its monumental Neo-Classical style was already outdated. Due to a lack of funds, less than half of Wynnes’s original design had actually been realized. The building presented unsightly stub ends and an unenclosed courtyard to the Botanic Gardens.

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Plan of ground floor, second contract drawing No. 3, 1923

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In 1962 the Belfast Municipal Museum and Art Gallery became the Ulster Museum and the following year a competition was launched to extend the museum, with the winning design being the result of a collaboration between Pym and 22-year-old assistant architect Paddy Lawson, who acted as the actual architect on site, overseeing all aspects of the design and integrating the existing building and the proposed extension together, thus he managed to achieve a complete fusion of old and new in plan, section and façade.

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Charcoal and watercolour concept drawing, c.1964

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The result of subsequent changes was influenced by works such as the Karl Liebknecht monument by Mies van der Rohe in Berlin in 1926, and there are conceptual similarities between Pym's design and the Boston City Hall by Gerhardt Kallmann and N. Michael McKinnell. The main concept was an upward spiral that affected both the internal layout and external massaging. The main aesthetic was brutalism, a provocative style of architecture described as a "violent revolutionary explosion." The raw concrete of the new extension stood in stark contrast to the elaborate original Edwardian modelling. However, the concrete finish was carefully designed to harmonize in tone and color with the existing building. The classic features of the original building may have been extended by the concrete cantilevers of the extension, with the intention of delicately combining the two styles. In this way, a balance was achieved between exhibition needs and the architectural heritage of the building.

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It was one of 12 buildings that year to win a Royal Institute of British Architects award.

It closed for three years between 2006 and 2009 for a £12m redevelopment that opened up the centre of the building (additional exhibition space and a radically transformed interior).

In 2021, the Ulster Museum had 127,000 visitors.

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Comparative Analysis between Ulster Museum Belfast & National Portrait Gallery London

Ulster Museum is the only finished work of both Paddy Lawson and Francis Pym with whom Lawson worked on the Brutalist extension of the building.

The neoclassical and classical part of the museum was done by Architect James Cumming Wynnes, in the first half of the 20th century. During that time he also worked with Sir Richard Allison, a Scottish Architect. He designed the Science Museum in London (1919-1928), the Geological Museum in London and the Orange Street wing of National Portrait Gallery in London (1933).

Both Cumming and Allison took inspiration from the neoclassical architecture style, despite criticism of it already being outdated at that time.

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Elevations wise, both buildings follow a combination of neoclassicism and classicism, with perfect symmetry, columns and arches. While Ulster has a simple ionic approach to the use of capitals, National Portrait Gallery has more complicated corinthian columns that emphasize not only the main entrance, but also the side ones. It is obvious that the design approach of Cumming is less deliberate to impress in comparison to Allison’s design.

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At the present moment, after Paddy Lawson’s Brutalist extension to Ulster, both buildings leave a forever impression on their visitors: one caused by the magnitude of the structure and it’s details, the other one by the unusual combination of architectural styles.

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The main difference between the two buildings is the active use of space. While Ulster invites its visitors to spend as much time as possible in the museum by offering them space for leisure in the entrance hall, National Gallery seems to rush its visitors from the street to the exhibitions.

The entrance of Ulster is open with wide stairs, making the experience comfortable and enjoyable. On the other end, National Gallery’s entrance is more narrow and somewhat obscure and, in contrast with Ulster, it allows way less natural light to come inside the building. The narrow staircase, though wide enough to fit four people at the same time, feels claustrophobic. Later, with the long, tall and yet narrow exhibition rooms, National Portrait Gallery looks as if there was not enough horizontal space to fit all the wanted rooms and space economy had to be done. Entering from such an open space like the Trafalgar Square, National Portrait Gallery gives a continious emotion of rush, especially when there are many visitors.

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Cumming’s choice regarding Ulster’s use of space is almost completly different in comparison to the choices done by Allison’s team. Cumming chooses to have lavatory rooms separate for each gender, not just for the visitors, but also for the board staff. It is clear though that at that time women were not encouraged to education or to have positions of power (the rooms regarding the female staff are smaller compared to the male ones). Once again, National Portrait Gallery shows an economy regarding space: Ulster has a strong room in case of emergencies, National Gallery does not. The same applies to the fumegating room, library, lecture hall, curator rooms and laboratories, workshop and even the receiving room.

Both Allison and Cumming use the corridors to divide the museums. Cumming is able to organise his available area in an efficient way as the building was built on an empty lot. Allison on the other hand is restricted not only by the Trafalgar Square, but also by the surrounding buildings and already existing structures.

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In conclusion, despite working together for over a decade, Cumming’s and Allison’s approarches to architecture contrast each other.

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The Ulster museum

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Senior Curator of History, Dr. Karen Logan is pictured below with one of the many objects acquired through her 'Collecting the Troubles and Beyond' project. The project, a new, three-year endeavour, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund aims to widen the scope of the collection through greater community engagement and ensure that the objects can be used to support a full and inclusive narrative. This will involve bridging gaps in the existing collection and acquiring items of particular national and international significance or those which are rare and represent the best examples of their kind.

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The Ulster museum

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Within days the museum received £4.5m, its largest ever grant, from the Heritage Lottery Fund towards.

Counterpart is a powerful new contribution to the city’s street art collection and depicts aspects of society, life and culture in Northern Ireland, brought to life on an unavoidable scale to entice viewers to reflect on Northern Ireland's shared future.

The World Cultures collection is closely linked to the history of the Ulster Museum and most of the items were acquired in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The European bias and power imbalances that characterised this collecting leave a complex and sensitive legacy.

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A 25-metre art installation designed by renowned artist and activist Joe Caslin has been revealed on the exterior of the Ulster Museum, inspired by the contributions of Making the Future participants.

Joe has developed a site-specific artwork for the Ulster Museum that has transformed the exterior of the building and given a voice to the people. It’s a message that speaks to the core value of the Making the Future project — a project facilitating conversations about the past, present and future in Northern Ireland.

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National Portrait Gallery, London

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National Portrait Gallery, London

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The national portrait gallery is for the foremost centre for the study of and research into portraiture, as well as making its work and activities of interest to as wide a range of visitors as possible.

The national portrait gallery is uniquely placed to encourage reflection on the nature of British identity, individual achievement and the impact and influence of people making a mark on the country’s history and culture.

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Contemporary Architects and architectural firms may also draw inspiration from the national portrait gallery's design principles, historical significance and cultural context. Whether through formal architectural features, spatial arrangements, or cultural resonance, the gallerys design continues to influence architects who seek to create engaging and meaningful public spaces.

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National Portrait Gallery, London

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The National Portrait Gallery was praised for its Victorian Gothic Revival architecture. It appreciated for its grandeur, intricate details, and historical significance.

But it has also faced criticism for its limited exhibition space. The buildings original design may not have anticipated the growth of the gallerys collection or the increasing demand for exhibition space, resulting in overcrowded galleries and difficulties in adequately showcasing the artwork.

Historians often appreciate the National Portrait Gallery for its extensive collection of portraits depicting

significant figures in British history. They see it as an important institution for preserving and showcasing the

nations cultural heritage.

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The museum is located on Stranmillis Road in the southern part of Belfast, Northen Ireland.

It neighbours Queen's University, The Palm House and The Tropical Ravine.

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The building had been constructed in the Botanic Gardens of Belfast that dates to 1828 and it features tropical spieces and domed conservatory, together with a Rose Garden.

On the northen side of the Museum, the statue of Lord Kevin, Belfast born mathematician, physicist and engineer.

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Most of the structures found in the Botanic Garden had been constructed before Ulster Museum. The Tropical Ravine, located just a few steps behind Ulster, first opened in 1889 and was built on a previous orchid house. The structure follows the Victorian Style and it was designed by the head gardner of Belfast's Botanic Gardens, Charles McKimm. By 1980, an alluminium framed glass roof had been built. Palm House, situated on the north east part of the Gardens, dates back to the 1830's when the Belfast Botanical and Horticultural Society initiated the construction of building. It still remains one of the earliest Victorian curvillinear cast iron glasshouse. The construction was finished in 1889. Outside of Palm House and Tropical Ravine, a children's background and a bowling green can be found on the site.

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All these structures, together with the Gothic Tudor style of Queen's University which dates back to 1855, have had a definite impact on both Cumming's and Lawson's architectural design choices. Cumming chose an U shaped structure for Ulster, leaving enough space for an interior garden. It is possible that Cumming was inspired by the association of nature with architecture, already found in The Palm House and The Tropical Ravine.

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National Portrait Gallery, London

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Individuals or projects that have been influenced by the design and concepts embodied in the Ulster museum and the National Portrait Gallary

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‘The history is about the container not the contents’, so state Graham Hulme and Brian Buchanan (both authors of the architectural history book that surrounds the National portrait gallery) at the start of a fascinating account of the National Portrait Gallery’s Buildings.

They examine the exterior and interior with an eye to both architectural detail and practical purpose, such as the need for plenty of natural light, the radical intention of using sloping surfaces to carry exhibits and the importance of

east access by short, gentle flights of stairs.

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There is a deep analysis of the contributions of the famous contemporary architects who left their mark on the gallery such as Roderick Gradidge, John Miller, Su Rodgers and Piers Gough. The National Portrait Gallery is a grand neo -gothic building in red sandstone, the north and east facing sides feature an elaborate scheme of decorative sculptures.

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Before the gallery became what it is known to be today was firstly remodelled by Jamie Fobert, who worked with many other architects to redesign the permanent galleries by adding a new dynamic colour scheme as well as guiding the vision for the overarching visitor experience.

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John Taylor, an architect known for his contributions to public buildings and museums, might have been influenced by the design of the National Portrait Gallery. Taylor was involved in various architectural projects in London during the late 19th and early 20th centuries and may have drawn inspiration from the gallery's neoclassical aesthetics in his own work.

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The broader architectural context surrounding both buildings, including any relevant architectural movements or approaches that influenced the architect's work

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Critique of the architectural design and functionality of both buildings

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The impact of the Ulster museum and the National Portrait Gallary on their respective urban or rural environments, considering aspects such as public engagement and spatial organisation