An extension by London-based Hugh Broughton Architects is set to provide Maidstone Museum with the much-needed square footage to show off its extraordinary assets
The Maidstone Museum in England houses an extensive and brilliantly diverse collection, ranging from a Solomon Islands war canoe to numerous local historical artefacts. Finding itself short of space at the turn of the 21st century, it embarked on an extensive renovation and extension project. Now the museum's square footage hasbeen extended further still by a shiny new addition, designed by London-based Hugh Broughton Architects.
Holding the largest mixed collection in Kent and one of the biggest in South East England, the museum is home to over 600,000 artefacts in a core Grade II listed building, a Tudor Manor house dating back to1561. Following a west wing renovation which was completed in 2003, the 'East Wing' addition project was awarded to Hugh Broughton and his team in 2006 through a RIBA completion. The team is best known for its ongoing extraordinary Halley VI Antarctic Research Station project on the Brunt Ice Shelf.
The Maidstone Museum extension not only secures extra storage allowance, bringing previously unused spaces into use, but also provides new galleries and all the mod con facilities needed to ensure a fully contemporary museum experience for visitors.
Clad in eye-catching, gold-hued copper shingles, the structure has a suitably subtle interior (check back for more pictures soon), which works with the existing material palette, such as timber floors and neutral colours.
Taking the historical building into the 21st century, the extension is also environmentally controlled, with heating and cooling via ground-sourced heat pumps running from 100-m-deep vertical boreholes in the adjacent gardens, while photovoltaic panels sit on the roof.
[Image here]
Following a west wing renovation which was completed in 2003, the 'East Wing' addition project was awarded to Hugh Broughton and his team in 2006 through a RIBA completion
[Image here]
The structure is clad in eye-catching, gold-hued copper shingles
Holding the largest mixed collection in Kent and one of the biggest in South East England, the museum is home to over 600,000 artefacts in a core Grade II listed building, a Tudor Manor house dating back to1561
The shiny new addition not only provides new galleries...
[Image here]
The extension is also environmentally controlled, with heating and cooling via ground-sourced heat pumps running from 100-m-deep vertical boreholes in the adjacent gardens
-
Inside Bell Labs, the modernist vision behind Severance's minimalist settingWe explore the history of Bell Labs - now known as Bell Works - the modernist Eero Saarinen-designed facility in New Jersey, which inspired the dystopian minimalist setting of 'Severance'
-
Toronto’s DesignTO 2025 highlights – art and design to see across the cityAt DesignTO, the largest festival of its kind in Canada, determined artists and designers gather in Toronto in full embrace of chilly weather. Our on-the-ground correspondent reports on its standout moments
-
AAU Anastas and Tomoko Sauvage create a symphony of glass and sound at Ruinart's domain in ReimsWallpaper* speaks to Palestinian architects AAU Anastas about their glass and sound installation at Ruinart and looks back on a pivotal year
-
2025 Serpentine Pavilion: this year's architect, Marina Tabassum, explains her designThe 2025 Serpentine Pavilion design by Marina Tabassum is unveiled; the Bangladeshi architect talks to us about the commission, vision, and the notion of time
-
We celebrate the emerging London architects to be excited aboutThese emerging London architects are some of the capital's finest ground-breakers, movers and shakers; heralding a new generation of architecture
-
A library in a London telephone box? This is a charming reading nook full of surprisesSet in a restored London telephone box, Upper Street Little Library is a cosy beacon to encourage reading to the wider community
-
This revamped east London terraced house is a music lover’s dreamAn east London terraced house gets a boost of personality and sustainability thanks to Archmongers, whose transformation makes room for the owners’ creativity and extensive record collection
-
This elegant infill project slots beautifully into the London streetscapeIn this infill project, a row of garages in Blackheath, south-east London, has been replaced by a contemporary family home by local practice Mailen Design
-
Don’t Move, Improve 2025: the 14 London homes adding design oomph to the everydayThe shortlist for Don’t Move, Improve 2025 has been announced, revealing 14 residential projects across London that add value and pizazz to their inhabitants’ daily lives
-
Space House: explore the brutalist London landmark’s new chapterSpace House, a landmark of brutalist architecture by Richard Seifert & Partners in London’s Covent Garden, is back following a 21st-century redesign by Squire & Partners and developer Seaforth Land
-
Fire-damaged Walworth Town Hall shows off majestic transformationWalworth Town Hall gets a much-needed reimagining by Feix & Merlin, who transformed the heritage building into a contemporary workspace and a hub of its local community in south London
