Visitor centres will need to transform to survive the pandemic’s impact, and David Hills – from IHBC HESPR-member, architectural practice Purcell –thinks construction professionals can help, as reported by Building.
Building writes:
Heritage sector construction contributes some £7.1bn GVA and employs 100,000 construction workers and 24,000 architects, building and civil engineers and chartered surveyors, according to Historic England. Now, the heritage sector is among the worst affected by the covid-19 lockdown and likelihood of ongoing social distancing. As bleak as the situation may sound, there are opportunities emerging from the pandemic, for the visitor to have a better experience and for the operator to become more efficient and effective. As a result, there are opportunities for those involved in the construction, maintenance, restoration and re-presentation of heritage sites to deliver the transformations needed. The scale of the impact of the pandemic on heritage destinations should not be underestimated. Traditional heritage destination activities such as parking, walking to the visitor centre, buying a ticket, walking around the attraction, consuming refreshments and browsing the ubiquitous gift shop all now present risks…
… Each heritage site will need to review and overhaul its operations in order to survive. The most forward-thinking heritage operators will use data and apps to stagger and protect visitors, replacing ‘risky’ brochures and audio guides with smart phone features, capturing their preferences and adapting the venue to meet them with a more bespoke offer. They will also up their digital game, providing virtual experiences to drive revenues as well as physical visits.
This transformation will start with reviews of buildings and site layouts.
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