DUDLEY CANAL TRUST PORTAL EXHIBITION DESIGN BRIEF Summary Dudley Canal Trust Trips Ltd (DCTT), supported by various funders including the Heritage Lottery Fund and the European Regional Development Fund, have embarked on a £3 million project to construct a new ‘Portal’ building on their Todd’s End site. The Portal will provide new facilities for visitors and facilitate learning and engagement through a new exhibition and learning space. A three year programme of activities will accompany the capital construction work, supported by three new members of staff. An interpretation / exhibition design professional is required to design and build the exhibition within the Portal. The following brief sets out the themes and aims that the exhibition should meet, along with the budget available. The appointed consultant will be expected to deliver all aspects of the exhibition design and fit out. The Portal project is part-funded by The National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund and the European Regional Development Fund 2007-13. 1 The Budget £50,000 will be available for the exhibition within the galley space. An additional £20,000 will be available for interpretation outside of the gallery space. The total of £70,000 should include all fees, design and implementation across all elements. The Space The floor area of gallery space measures 14.6m x 8.6m. It is 3.1m tall to the base of the support beams and 4.1m to the full ceiling height. The space will have a concrete floor with an exposed aggregate finish, some basic utility lighting and a matt black wall finish on three sides. The other wall (14.6m) is fully glazed from floor to ceiling and contains the exit from the space through which visitors will access the trip boats and towpath. Any additional detailing you may wish to specify within the room will fall within the project budget. The exhibition will be the visitor’s first formal experience after purchasing a ticket for a boat trip, however visitors will be able to visit the exhibition without buying a ticket if they so wish. As such, elements of interpretation directly or indirectly linked to the exhibition should be included elsewhere within the building, or the site (such as on the towpath or car park). Further information about the rest of the site is available on request. 2 The Story The four main themes of interpretation for DCTT should be seen throughout DCTT sites and operations. They form the basis upon which the visitors build their understanding of the site, its past and its reason for being there. Evolution – the geological story - The geology of Castle Hill; what rocks are there, how they formed - Castle Hill’s distant past; how the environment has changed - How old are the rocks beneath our feet? Revolution – the industrial revolution - Why were the canals built? - What were they used for? - How were they built? - What was happening in Dudley in the industrial revolution? - What was it like to live and work here at that time? Exploration – surveying, mining, engineering - Why the tunnels were built, how were the caverns formed? - What was it like to be a limestone miner? - What was the limestone used for? The story of Dudley Canal Trust - The abandonment of the canals and the closure of Dudley tunnel - The formation of Dudley Canal Trust - The rescue of the canals and tunnels - The construction of the Portal and the future of DCT 3 Additionally, there are a wide range of other minor themes of interpretation for DCTT that could be implemented across the site, in the exhibition or for other interpretative features. Canals as a mode of transportation and way of living - How do locks work? - Where does the water come from and go to? - How do the canals link up geographically? - Roses and castles painting - The life of the boaters who moved goods around on the canal Canals as a living place - Wildlife / ecology of the canals and canal side - Things you’ll see / find on the towpath - Pollution in the canals and the effect on ecosystems and habitats The Earl of Dudley - His industrial and social legacy in the Black Country The surrounding landscape - What is above the tunnels? - What other geologically significant sites are nearby? - What other industrially significant sites are nearby? Structures and mechanisms - How do the tunnels stay up? - Gears, levers, pulleys and their role in mining and tunnel construction 4 The Concept The exhibition should engage visitors with the story in as immersive a way as possible. Through clever use of lighting, temperature, sounds, smells and textures, the exhibition should engage with visitor’s senses to help them connect with the stories presented to them. Changes in light or sound or temperature could denote different areas within the space, or help to convey ideas such as the sounds of the Silurian sea or the heat of the lime kilns. The interpretation should be as accessible as possible to as many people as possible. This should include people with visual impairments, children, those in wheelchairs, with pushchairs, who have English as a second language and many more. Wherever possible, ideas and information should be conveyed in obvious and subtle ways, to reinforce them. User groups and stakeholders should be consulted during the design process to ensure that the exhibition meets their needs. Interpretation across the site should feel seamless, a consistent part of the visitor experience from their arrival on the car park, through their journey through the building and into the limestone mines and caverns. Some visitors may not take part in the boat trip, so the experience within the building should be enjoyable on its own. Equally, the boat trip is the income-generating aspect of their visit, so the experience within the Portal should not compromise or replace it in any way. The interpretative experience within the Portal should encourage people to take a trip on the boats into the caverns and limestone mines. The story of the mines and caverns is a people’s history in many ways, from the people who constructed them to the people who saved them and the people who operate the trips today. The interpretation should connect visitors with this people-driven story, using real voices, photos and objects wherever possible. 5 Services Required A summary of the services required for the fee will include; - Prepare an outline cost estimate of the scheme - Provide outline proposals followed by full scheme design - Provide information to the client’s other consultants for the preparation of an overall project cost estimate - Prepare preliminary programme for construction - Consult with building control authorities - Consult with fire and health and safety authorities - Submit exhibition proposals in accordance with agreed exhibition design review programme and obtain client approval - Liaise with other consultants throughout the design and build - Contribute to a project risk review - Coordination of community consultation and involvement - Editing / creation of exhibition written copy and multimedia - Management of any subcontracted elements What is Required for Tender We require a basic design proposal, to provide us with an overview of what you would provide in terms of displays and exhibits in all areas of the site previously mentioned. The proposals should demonstrate some early ideas on; - Basic themes and contents for the exhibition - Installations on site other than those in the gallery space - Interactive exhibits - How atmosphere will be created and manipulated You may choose to include further details if you wish to illustrate your proposal, such as opportunities for community engagement or basic graphic concept proposals, however it is not expected that the design proposal will be particularly detailed at this stage. Tenders should also include examples of previous relevant work, a company profile and details of the team who will work on the project. Tenders will be assessed against the above criteria, and failure to submit any of the required information may result in your tender being rejected. 6 Timescale Proposals should be received by noon on Monday 20th October 2014. The selection will take place that week, with the work scheduled to commence in November 2014. The Portal building is due to open in Summer 2015, therefore all elements must be onsite and operational before then for soft opening and testing. How to Submit Proposals should be in hard copy form, sent by post or hand delivered to; Interpretation Tender Dudley Canal Trust Trips 501 Birmingham New Road Dudley West Midlands DY1 4SB Further Information and Contact Information about the project and Dudley Canal Trust can be found online at our various websites; www.dudleycanaltrust.org.uk www.facebook.com/dudleycanaltrust www.dudleytunnel.co.uk The planning permission documents for The Portal can be obtained from http://www.dudley.gov.uk/resident/planning/planning-services/search- for-a-planning-application using Planning References P12/1354 (original approval) and P13/1314 (minor material amendment). For any further information, or for clarification of any of the points in this brief, please contact Sarah Fellows, Heritage Activities Officer, by email to [email protected] 7 .