Our ThinkingMima In Conversation With: AOC Architecture
Architecture and accessibility aren’t just parallel conversations - they’re powerful forces that reshape how we experience culture. In conversation with AOC Architecture’s Gill Lambert and Jay King, together with Mima’s Head of Accessibility & Inclusive Design, Emily Yates, we uncover how inclusive design principles are being embedded in practice. Their collaboration on the Sound + Vision galleries at the National Science and Media Museum in Bradford, a £6 million transformation unveiled in July 2025, demonstrates how accessibility can redefine exhibition spaces and invite every visitor into the story.
Let’s kick off with some background on the project (Sound + Vision galleries at National Science and Media Museum) and explore your work and how collaboration helped shape the space.
AOC, Gill - On this project, the key thing for us was doing the base build and the fit out. Fundamentally we’re facilitating new galleries, including the wider constructional adaptations and consideration, but also the fit out and design. We got the job on the basis that we are very interested in users, visitor experience and mapping through the architecture, as well as the fit out and exhibition design, which is often why we find ourselves in this sphere.
Mima, Emily - An interesting point in terms of access involvement for me on this project, was I had a really good opportunity to be part of the wider design team and providing that technical review and advice, but also a separate strand where I was recruiting and facilitating for the lived experience user group. I also worked directly with the museum on accessible resources - so a spider web! I think it’s rare for an access consultant to get to do all of those things and that was really quite special in this.
AOC, Gill - We’d just come from a project at the Young V&A where we had explored working with the community, so a huge amount of collaborative process on that. We were quite academic about what was actually co-design or co-production, or what was a more open-ended ‘getting into the DNA’ of the project - but even with that project, although there were strands around access and a more traditional access role like you're saying Emily, (for example, the end of stage report looking at the technical requirements, and there were a couple of access panels), it didn't really cut through the whole of the project in the way that that you were able to on Sound + Vision. So the invitation of the client to work with the people of Bradford to include access as part of that conversation, not just zooming in on the content - it became more about the content narratives of the people and their experience and therefore being inclusive within that. For us it was an opportunity to extend that previous experience around collaborative processes and take a more of a deep dive, guided by Emily. It was amazing.
How did accessibility considerations shape the architectural approach?
AOC, Jay: I guess the big part was about how accessibility shouldn’t be limiting and it meant we were able to really explore a lot of experimentation in the spaces because of the way in which the overall brief and concept developed, where it was sort of in part more a conventional exhibition gallery, and other spaces much more experiential. On paper there's a perception that it can't be accessible if you're going a bit more ‘out there’ with the space. But you know, I think it's about not feeling limited by that and about how you can create a good balance.
AOC, Gill - So the concept of the heightened scenes actually mirroring interestingly, the conversation about not wanting a monotonous result - the panel definitely wanted variety and excitement, and they all had different opinions and views and needs and desires. So I think it's that thing of choice which feels really important as you look at the spatial planning - how there's a rhythm of pace and choice within that to engage or not engage, but there's something for everyone.
Emily taught us to think more about the pre-tooling and of course the client gave us a good remit to take up that gallery space to have the accessibility hubs and to deliver a range of facilities, including the tactile map, and having that really built in. I was looking at the braille guide and the translation of the drawings and the infographics. It's just absolutely beautiful as well. It’s such a lovely thing.
Mima, Emily - I think for me when I think about why this was so successful, the main thing that carries on in my head is that accessibility still has such a fear factor attached to it and I feel truly that both AOC and the client don't have that fear factor. So it makes it so much easier and more pleasurable for me to really try and push boundaries, not just keep to code and compliance, but think experientially and end to end.
And the group were really good at helping me overturn some of those misconceptions. So Gill, as you just said, having access requirements does not mean you want a monotonous gallery. Well, that's so often the misconception, but the fact that AOC knew that and the client knew that and the panel were able to really back that up, I think was such a massive factor of the project going well.
So often what people do is say, "Oh, yes, something's got to be accessible" and they either make it boring and clinical because they don't know what else to do or they decide to just tick a few boxes and leave it there.
Can you share an example where accessibility input led to a new or unexpected design solution?
AOC, Jay - I guess it reemphasised the material variety that we were able to explore. The immersive space was always going to be more materially rich, but even within the gallery where we have got softer timber materials and the showcases being a sort of cold metallic, I think that sort of tetra variety, which then also gets sort of exaggerated and ramped up in the immersive spaces was part of it.
The accessibility of using quite bold colours and having very immersive AV experiences in particular was interesting - you step into the space and we have projections and sound and light and you instantly feel the content when you enter. The important thing was to understand how we might still have that rich experience, but work within certain limits that make it less overwhelming, but still really exciting.
In particular, the testing of the Dalek (a moment as you enter on level five) - we spent a lot of time with the lighting contractor making sure the light wasn't too minimising and the fast movements of light not being too overwhelming. You’ve still got this very activated object that really welcomes you into that part of the gallery.
How was your work shaped by diverse users and co-created with local community groups and those with lived experience?
Mima, Emily - We recruited and facilitated a group of six lived experience users, all local to Bradford. That was really important to the museum. They wanted in particular to focus on two different postcodes and they wanted local and community input into the group which I thought was really great. The individuals had a variety of different impairments and access requirements, physical, sensory, cognitive, etc. We made sure that those workshops, whether virtual or in person, were accessible to them in terms of the content that was provided - how they were able to respond and input and communicate. The museum also had a few other different panels that we were able to engage with including a youth panel and the Deaf Centre of Bradford.
AOC, Gill: The gallery is called Sound + Vision which is challenging - what does that mean for someone that has disabilities, but we embraced that full on. The first community meeting was actually with the Bradford Deaf Institute; it was so important to the whole of the project. That first question of ‘what’s the approach’ and the client really knowing that. A lot of the content ultimately was really challenging in terms of access. So knowing from the start, how we could be more representative or make things feel more relevant was vital.
Mima, Emily: That's such a good point. I think from my perspective as well, it was really cool that almost a priority of the brief from an access consultancy perspective was not to focus so much on physical accessibility. That was almost truly the baseline of what we had to achieve because there was so much more to think about in terms of D/deaf, blind and partially sighted and neurodivergent users as well, who as Jay said earlier, might find this space particularly overwhelming or difficult to access. So that was a really good challenge.
What did the process of working together look like day-to-day?
AOC, Jay: I guess it came a lot into the physical arrangements and constraints of the piece of set work, furniture, and the colour overlay. Thinking about it from both the physical and the visual perspectives of what it becomes. Then looking at those opportunities where the accessible experience can then be enhanced through the actual content. So whether that's the tactile labels, tactile models, opportunities to listen as well as watch and see and feel stuff. Throughout the gallery thinking about the density and distribution of that. Working together covered the entire arrangement of the gallery as well as the actual development of the individual pieces of furniture. There were touchpoints where we did a compliance check with Mima, whether that was making sure we applied frequent provision for seating or a review of our colour palettes, making sure that the LRVs were on track, and then more focused looks at some of the furniture including the accessibility hubs.
AOC, Gill: It's nice that you're bringing out some of the detail, Jay, because that's the point. We talked about big ideas, you know, accessibility being in the DNA of how we worked and the zooming out, thinking about visitor experience, but actually also the nitty-gritty.
Ultimately it was quite dynamic. We had a design process that needed quite a lot of iteration to get to the right answer for the delivery of the content and to meet the client's needs and just constantly feeding in and having Emily at hand to any tricky situations!
Mima, Emily: Yeh, I think from my perspective as well I would say that I learned a lot about design team dynamics and relationships through this project and how they should be. So, I'd previously worked on, you know, several different museum projects and loved them all, but always felt like I was slightly outside of the design team. I'm the access consultant, and we can be known for being the ‘no’ person in the room! But this was welcomed through a desire to do things properly but also truly futureproof the design and experience.
AOC, Jay: Yeh, I think I think it's as much about the architecture design team being open to that as the consultancy side of things being open to iteration, as you already touched on. It's not a tick box exercise. It's not just about compliance. It's about how you facilitate an enhanced experience for all visitors no matter what their accessibility requirements are.
Any challenges?
AOC, Gill: I think there were examples of our confidence dipping, like how far can we push this, where we might not have been able to find our way through so easily.
AOC, Jay: It's a reasonably small gallery with a lot of content to fit in. Outside of accessibility that was always a challenge for the space. As the content grew making sure that we were still meeting all those requirements, particularly the level three entrance, so the main entrance to the gallery, there was a risk that would start to become too overcluttered and almost run counter to some of our targets around trying to make sure that's a really clear welcome moment that's inviting but not overwhelming.
And making sure that we had the opportunity to welcome people to the gallery experience, the title, the gallery intro text, the section intro text, the accessibility panel, and then the first pieces of content. Making sure they all work spatially and how they speak to one another. That was possibly one of the most challenging elements, even though it's not necessarily the most complicated area of the space, I think that was probably one of the trickiest in terms of spatial planning.
Do you feel the space reflects a wider shift in how museums are approaching accessibility?
Mima, Emily: I've had some really good conversations about this recently with other museums within the Science Museum Group, as well as Fiona Slater who's the Head of Access and Equity there. I think there is now becoming a better understanding in terms of this inclusive design shift that is not just about physical accessibility. It is not just about wheelchair users and older people and providing enough seats and clear widths and all of those things.
There has become this real understanding that museums are inherently visual spaces a lot of the time, the majority of the time. They've got objects to show. They've got interactives that you need to engage with. And I think personally that the biggest challenge that museums have now going forward is how do we bring blind and partially sighted people into that design. Not just in terms of how are those people able to navigate a space, but how are they able to engage and learn and connect and get delight and enjoyment from that experience? I think we’ll see some really exciting and innovative solutions in the not too distant future that go above and beyond the ‘audio guide’.
What were your key takeaways from this collaborative work?
AOC, Jay: I think the fact that we got to engage with a range of different groups. I think that was really interesting. Obviously that's something which AOC are always really keen to - speak to the end users and people of different experience and requirements.
AOC, Gill: Also that it was an iterative process that accessibility was embedded into the design and interlayered into it - it went beyond a conversation. We had lots of different types of conversations, and the access panel went on the journey with us. I think widening as much as possible, but also making sure there's that kind of, you know, and so by forming the panel and investing in that time, it gave us that opportunity to kind of take people on a journey, which is great.
AOC, Jay: In some places things that came out of the access panel are very little, very clear things which led to some big ideas that came from them. I mean not all of them are able to be explored. The ice cave for example - one of the heightened moments - whilst we were trying to think about a more subdued version of the experience there, one suggestion was to put a bubble machine there or actual dry ice! We certainly felt the engagement pushing us to be bold on certain aspects.
AOC, Gill: It's like Emily said. It's getting rid of the fear of what it might mean to cater to everyone's needs and how can you possibly ever cater to everyone's needs because the needs are so diverse and complex.
What did you learn from working together that you’ll take into future projects?
AOC, Jay: In terms of shaping future projects I'd say there's basic rules or approaches to some of the accessible designs that have been in the back of my mind when developing other exhibition work we've been doing since Sound + Vision, which you know even projects where we haven't been collaborating with Mima, but just considering some of the the physical requirements and standard accessibility guidance or even just about how we might approach having a moment for accessible engagement and how we might achieve that and make sure everyone has an opportunity to engage in the content.
AOC, Gill: I think about how to express the content and what material to prepare. We would draft and then review with Emily and then we would always send that through to the panel in advance so they had time to digest it. We’re obviously very visual people, and the conversations we had with the panels involved either speaking or interpretation - so actually thinking about how to visually communicate and open up the process is definitely an area I’ve gained skills in. Thinking about how you capture or map an emotion or visitor experience journey through the space which we want to do more of and are trying to yeah push boundaries on that.
Mima, Emily: One thing that this project really taught me was you can have a flexible and a dynamic, ongoing relationship, as well as delivering those end of stage reports. It can include warmth, admitting that the answer might not be all that easy to figure out, or in a standard, and working things through together. I think that's really helped me personally to think about what I want from a commission and engagement in the future because actually I don't just want to be there to be a tick box of a consultant. I want to be there because I'm making a difference in the project.
If you could sum up your joint approach, what would it be?
AOC, Gill: Truly collaborative, inclusive and integrated. We saw many people from the panel were at the opening and having an absolutely great time - that inclusion carried right through to the opening. Into the speeches, into the gallery and seeing it for real, and enjoying the interactives with members of the panel group.
Mima, Emily: Joint dedication to the best result possible, with fun and enjoyment along the way!
Written by:
Emily Yates
Head of Accessibility and Inclusive Design
Emily has worked on numerous accessibility initiatives for national and international organisations, including the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and Heathrow Airport. Emily has also worked with the Council of Europe and sat on equality boards advising premier league football clubs.
