A new visitor centre at the North End Shipyard is set to tell the story of the iconic Arctic Corsair.
The new site on the banks of the River Hull forms a part of the wider Hull Maritime project which also includes the redevelopment of Queen’s Gardens, the Hull Maritime Museum, and the Spurn Lightship.
Despite the Arctic Corsair not being expected to arrive at its new home until next Spring, the state-of-the-art visitor centre building has now been completed. The building, which will tell the story of the vessel’s rich history is itself making history being the first museum to receive Passivhaus certification.
Passivhaus certification is globally respected and recognised as the height of energy efficiency, with certified buildings using around 90% less energy than normal buildings. As well as being airtight, the building has a number of energy saving measures such as triple-glazed windows and solar panels to ensure the running costs of the site are as low as possible.
Murten Schmidt-Hansen, Ashcourt Construction’s Design and Planning Manager for the site, explained that the Passivhaus certification made the build a slower, more expensive, and more challenging process, describing the build as “a challenge, but a fun challenge.”
The building was designed by Purcell Architects who have been responsible for some of the most notable developments in recent British history such as the refurbishment of the Palace of Westminster’s Elizabeth Tower (aka, Big Ben). Architect Mark Popely explained that the design of the visitor centre was influenced by its surroundings with the building’s shape and corrugated cladding allowing it to fit in with the River Hull’s industrial aesthetic. Mr Popely added that it has been enjoyable to bring this development to a “forgotten part of Hull.”
Despite the building’s interior currently looking rather bare, by the time the site welcomes visitors it will be an interactive museum with visitors being able learn about the life of a trawlerman and the history of the vessel.
With the building now having been completed, work is still needed to be done in the dry dock itself, with the dock’s gate having to be replaced and parts of the River Hull having to be dredged before the ship arrives.
Upon visiting the site, the leader of Hull City Council, Cllr Mike Ross said he was “really pleased” to see the project come to fruition. He added: “Unlike the Maritime Museum, where a fantastic job is being done on renovating it, this is a brand new building so I think that shows the commitment from the council to really invest in telling Hull’s maritime history.”
Cllr Ross also spoke of the wider regeneration of the banks of the River Hull which also includes the upcoming East Bank Urban Village for which the council recently agreed a 15-year planning, development and construction agreement with ECF.
Later this year, the restored Scotch Derrick Crane will also return to the North End Shipyard ahead of the site opening next year.
By: Andrew Spence, LDRS
