EIC lands contract for Mary Rose Museum
WARWICKSHIRE based EIC has won a major contract to provide mechanical and electrical services for the much anticipated Mary Rose Museum project at Portsmouth’s historic Dockyard development.
The Alcester firm, which provides building services on a national basis, will install critical environmental systems for the £35m facility.
Working closely with the Mary Rose Trust, and alongside main contractor Warings and engineers from Gifford, EIC will be responsible for the precision heating, ventilation and humidity systems and controls that will maintain the correct environmental conditions for the conservation of one of the most famous ships in history, Henry VIII’s flagship, the Mary Rose.
The striking building, designed by Wilkinson Eyre, is being built around the 500 year old hull, which is too delicate to be moved.
Since being raised from the seabed in 1982, the fragile hull has been housed at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, alongside the renowned flagship of Admiral Lord Nelson, HMS Victory.
The complex conservation programme employed since the Mary Rose was raised, has seen the constant spraying of a water-based solution, polyethylene glycol. This will end in 2011 when the hull will enter its final conservation phase, controlled air drying. The new museum is scheduled to open in autumn 2012.
Darren Parrish, EIC South regional director, said: “Although we are always innovating, rarely do we get the chance to work on such an exciting scheme and be part of history in this way.
“The conservation of this historic ship is of huge national importance and the Mary Rose Museum project is incredibly prestigious, it is a genuine honour to be involved.”
He said the firm felt an enormous responsibility to make sure the systems and controls it installed were both accurate and robust, in order to protect the national treasure.
In addition to ensuring the correct climatic conditions within the Ship Hall, EIC will also be responsible for the general lighting, heating and ventilation requirements of the visitor areas and other exhibition zones.
