Bradford's biggest tourist attraction is undergoing a radical facelift. Simon Ashberry went behind the builders' hoardings for a sneak preview of the new-look National Museum of Photography Film and Television.

Staff at the National Museum of Photography Film and Television no longer talk about a reopening.

When the building welcomes the public back next spring they think of it as the start of a brand new venture.

Contractors are more than halfway through their work on a £13.25 million transformation of the museum, bringing it into the digital age.

The revamped building, which will be closed for about another six months, will feature a new concourse building linking it to the nearby Pictureville cinema.

When it reopens, it will also have a futuristic new glass front and several new or remodelled galleries.

Picking your way through what is still largely a construction site, the new shape of the museum can nevertheless be visualised.

The highest profile will be given to a new digital imaging gallery, in which the museum will show the past, present and future of computers, ranging from a demonstration of how the earliest computers worked to how special effects in modern films are created.

There will be also be an impressive new special exhibitions gallery which has a high ceiling offering the museum the chance to house large installations it would previously not have had room for.

The famous IMAX cinema is being upgraded so that it can show 3D films and other new features will include a Light and Magic gallery, featuring interactive displays and hands-on gadgets such as periscopes, and the Kodak gallery examining the history of photography.

During the construction work, the museum has gone into exile, moving temporarily into the former Treadwell's Mill in Little Germany.

But that will close in November and already some staff have started to return to the main building.

"As we go back in you start to see the place anew. It's remarkable how it's changed," said the museum's Deputy Head Tony Sweeney.

The most noticeable feature of the revamped building is its undulating glass atrium, which museum bosses hope will quickly become a distinctive part of the Bradford landscape.

"It will be nice when the front of the building is finished and can be seen properly. It's been described as a wave on its side,'' he added.

"It's deliberately not a mirrored or silvered glass. It's very clear and transparent. There will be bright lights and the frontage galleries will be almost falling out towards you. The idea is very much that at night you will see this very brightly illuminated space.

"We're in such a centrepiece of the cultural district and it will brighten up what is currently a fairly dusty gateway to Bradford."

The museum's caf and shop areas are also being moved to ground-floor level.

"The whole structure of the building will be a lot simpler when you compare it what we used to have in the museum," said Mr Sweeney.

He is particularly excited by the possibilities opened up by the new special exhibitions gallery.

"It's been one of the big problems that there are a lot of things which need the height to project. You can create more environments by using a space like that. It's also more flexible because we can use it as a single large space or divide it up," said Mr Sweeney.

Digital imaging will form a key element of the new museum. But Mr Sweeney acknowledges that there can be problems in presenting a hi-tech subject which is, by its very nature, fast-moving.

"You will be seeing very high quality stuff but it will also be exploring and analysing issues as being very hands-on and enjoyable,'' he said.

"We will be using these fun and interesting set pieces to explore the underlying issues. Certainly we don't see the gallery as something that goes down for the next 15 years and stays static.''

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.