Ralph Applebaum Associates

Housed in a restored WWII Bellman Hangar, the Brooklands Aircraft Factory at the Brooklands Museum pays tribute to the site’s history and continuing legacy as a center of global innovation in flight and aviation.

RAA was asked to provide interpretive design services detailing the history of aircraft manufacture: from the pioneering planes of wood and fabric to the supersonic airliner Concorde and the technologies of the future.

The new interior of the hanger was designed as an “Aircraft Factory,” harking back to the hangar’s original use as a manufacturing building. The “Factory Floor” creates an authentic factory atmosphere and focuses on the techniques employed in the manufacture of aircraft. The “Design Office,” located on a new mezzanine overlooking the “Factory Floor,” showcases the design, prototyping, and breakthroughs of flight technology that have been made on the site.

A new “Flight Shed” houses working aircraft and has direct access to the site’s open-air demonstration spaces. Hands-on activities and live demonstrations create a unique learning experience by enabling visitors to try out aircraft-building and design skills for themselves.

In the year after reopening, the museum not only received a record number of visitors, who were staying longer on average than before, but it was also recognized for having the Best New Permanent Exhibition at the Museums+Heritage Awards.