The concept of this design is perspective and view. There's a very different view from the inside and outside of the building when looking in certain directions.

Outside the building

This is an extremely unusual site in terms of shape and topography. The building has a long and narrow shape with a large difference in elevation all along the river. The roof is raised to allow people to walk on it, with views of the canal, the skyline of Manchester and the interior of the museum from different directions.

Interior of the building

The interior of the museum has a high atrium with the most important boats suspended on the first floor. Visitors enter from the second floor, where they can see the top of the ship. The side of the ship can be seen from the first floor. When visitors reach the ground floor they can look upwards to the bottom of the ship. This allows every angle of the ship to be shown.

Intersection of inside and outside

The canal is extended to the interior of the museum to house the water birds of the canal. The waterfowl are also used as part of the display, where visitors can observe and feed them.