The Imperial War Museum North is a war museum in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. It opened on the 5th July 2002 and was designed by world-renowned architect Daniel Libeskind and constructed at a cost of £28 million by Sir Robert McAlpine with engineering by Arup. The building has a highly complex geometry with sloping floors and ceilings and few perpendicular surfaces, designed to induce disorientation reminiscent of that caused by war. The large tower is known as the 'Air Shard' and has a viewing/observation platform at the top, accessed by a lift, with a good view of The Lowry and Salford Quays.

The museum won the title of 'Large Visitor Attraction of the Year' at the 2006 Manchester Tourism Awards. It will now be submitted as an entrant to England's Northwest Tourism Awards. If successful, it will be entered for the national Enjoy England Excellence Awards, representing the Northwest.

THE MUSEUM CONCEPT
The building is an attraction in itself, and is expected to be visited by around 400,000 visitors a year. It is an inspired concept of internationally renowned architect, Daniel Libeskind, who also designed the adjoining Lowry Footbridge. Polish-born in 1946, and with his main office now in Berlin, Libeskind overcame severe budget cuts - from £40 million down to around £28.5 million when the millennium lottery grant failed to materialise, to produce this masterpiece, the first of only 3 buildings by the architect.

THE SHARDS
The design concept is based on the globe, broken into three fragments to depict the shattering effect of war on the history of the world. These three fragments, or "shards", are structurally interlocked to represent world conflict on land, water and in the air.
The Earth Shard provides the main museum space while the Water Shard (the section closest to the water) contains the restaurant and a café. The third section, the Air Shard, is open to the elements and has a dominant towering observatory, offering panoramic views across the Ship Canal and the Manchester city centre skyline.

EXHIBITIONS & DISPLAYS
The Museum utilises many new and innovative modern exhibition design techniques and used the very latest interactive technologies to enhance the visitor experience, although, thankfully, there are still some reassuringly conventional glass cases with memorabilia and exhibits to satisfy the more conservative visitor, as well as there being occasional free standing artefacts of war - a field gus, a Russian tank, and a Harrier Jet, among others.

OPENING
Open daily from 10.00am-6.00pm all year round except Christmas Bank Holidays.

ADMISSION & PARKING
Admission to the Museum is free, but there is a car parking charge of £3.00 for the first 3 hours. Very little other street parking is available near the Museum. It is possible, however, to park in the Lowry Designer Outlet secure car park (paying) opposite across the Ship Canal, and to approach the Museum on foot by the Lowry Footbridge.

LOCATION
The Museum is located about 2 miles from Manchester city centre, on the south bank of the Manchester Ship Canal, opposite the Lowry Centre, (from which it can be accessed on foot via the Lowry Footbridge).

FACILITIES
Shop open during public hours, sells souvenirs and memorabilia. Extensive library of books on war-related topics on sale. Restaurant in the Water Shard open all day. Ground floor café selling light refreshments and sandwiches. Accessible throughout to disabled and wheelchair users. Lifts throughout. Large print guide leaflet available. Disabled Parking. Toilets.