Major museum projects in Dundee and Aberdeen have made significant progress recently, as their completion dates draw closer.
The renovation of the Hall of Remembrance, in Aberdeen, received a boost in the autumn statement thanks to £1.6m in Libor Trust funding. The project, which is part of the £30m renovation of the city’s art gallery, Cowdray Hall and Memorial Court, will also include a digital and interactive Gallery of Memories. A digitised version of the city’s Roll of Honour will focus on those who died in the first world war, while a commissioned artwork will remember Aberdonians who have lost their lives in conflict.
Jenny Laing, the leader of Aberdeen City Council, says: “This award means we are now 25% of the way towards our fundraising total. The Hall of Remembrance is one of the city’s most important buildings, and it is imperative that we protect and enhance it for future generations.”
Better visitor experience
It is hoped the overall renovation project will dramatically improve the visitor experience. Despite the discovery of medieval skeletons on site causing a minor delay, the project is on track for completion next winter.
Curators have made their final selections on the content of exhibits in each of the gallery spaces, which have been increased from 11 to 21. They include a rooftop gallery with terraces offering views of the city.
Other changes to the building aim to improve accessibility and make it easier to navigate, as well as increase education space.
In Dundee, the £81.1m V&A Museum of Design has entered its last full year of construction.
Philip Long, the museum’s director, says the project, designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, remains on budget and on schedule for completion in 2018. The project was hit by controversy early on after an independent report found its original £39m budget had doubled because it had been based on a lower specification design.
Construction reached a significant milestone as 2016 drew to a close, with the curving concrete walls, created using bespoke casts, reaching their full height. The upper floor, which connects the museum’s two buildings, was completed at the start of November and includes galleries, learning space and a restaurant.
Long says the completion of the walls shows the scale of the building and the difference it will make to the city, although it will remain hidden behind scaffolding until February or March. The outer shell will eventually be clad with 2,250 reconstituted stone panels.
A dam in the river Tay constructed to facilitate the “prow” of the museum, which protrudes over the river, will be removed in the summer.
Work on the interior of the museum will begin in earnest this month. Content for the galleries of design history was finalised before Christmas. Architect and exhibition design firm ZMMA has been appointed to work on the galleries of Scottish design.
A busy pre-opening programme includes a competition to design a time capsule, which is open to students studying for higher qualifications in design and manufacture.
“Capital projects are very demanding,” says Long. “The further into the project we get, the more parallel strands have been added, whether it is developing the temporary exhibition programme, appointing the caterers, or designing the content of the museum. But the team is clear on what needs to be done.”
The renovation of the Hall of Remembrance, in Aberdeen, received a boost in the autumn statement thanks to £1.6m in Libor Trust funding. The project, which is part of the £30m renovation of the city’s art gallery, Cowdray Hall and Memorial Court, will also include a digital and interactive Gallery of Memories. A digitised version of the city’s Roll of Honour will focus on those who died in the first world war, while a commissioned artwork will remember Aberdonians who have lost their lives in conflict.
Jenny Laing, the leader of Aberdeen City Council, says: “This award means we are now 25% of the way towards our fundraising total. The Hall of Remembrance is one of the city’s most important buildings, and it is imperative that we protect and enhance it for future generations.”
Better visitor experience
It is hoped the overall renovation project will dramatically improve the visitor experience. Despite the discovery of medieval skeletons on site causing a minor delay, the project is on track for completion next winter.
Curators have made their final selections on the content of exhibits in each of the gallery spaces, which have been increased from 11 to 21. They include a rooftop gallery with terraces offering views of the city.
Other changes to the building aim to improve accessibility and make it easier to navigate, as well as increase education space.
In Dundee, the £81.1m V&A Museum of Design has entered its last full year of construction.
Philip Long, the museum’s director, says the project, designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, remains on budget and on schedule for completion in 2018. The project was hit by controversy early on after an independent report found its original £39m budget had doubled because it had been based on a lower specification design.
Construction reached a significant milestone as 2016 drew to a close, with the curving concrete walls, created using bespoke casts, reaching their full height. The upper floor, which connects the museum’s two buildings, was completed at the start of November and includes galleries, learning space and a restaurant.
Long says the completion of the walls shows the scale of the building and the difference it will make to the city, although it will remain hidden behind scaffolding until February or March. The outer shell will eventually be clad with 2,250 reconstituted stone panels.
A dam in the river Tay constructed to facilitate the “prow” of the museum, which protrudes over the river, will be removed in the summer.
Work on the interior of the museum will begin in earnest this month. Content for the galleries of design history was finalised before Christmas. Architect and exhibition design firm ZMMA has been appointed to work on the galleries of Scottish design.
A busy pre-opening programme includes a competition to design a time capsule, which is open to students studying for higher qualifications in design and manufacture.
“Capital projects are very demanding,” says Long. “The further into the project we get, the more parallel strands have been added, whether it is developing the temporary exhibition programme, appointing the caterers, or designing the content of the museum. But the team is clear on what needs to be done.”