Funding boost means construction can start on major Scottish collections store

The National Lottery Heritage Fund has announced £8.5m funding for The Art Works, a new collections store in an old car factory that will house 130,000 artworks from National Galleries of Scotland’s collection when it opens around 2030.

The funding boost means that construction of the facility on the Granton Waterfront in north Edinburgh can begin shortly. Once open, the free-to-visit Art Works will house public viewing spaces, conservation studios, digitisation facilities, education rooms and spaces for local groups to hire – as well as storage for about 97% of National Galleries of Scotland’s collection.

The 130,000-odd pieces of art are currently housed across several sites in Edinburgh, many not designed for the long-term care of nationally important artworks.

Eilish McGuinness, chief executive of the National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “[The Art Works] will foster creative learning, skills development, employment, and partnerships, while contributing to cultural regeneration and local pride.

“It will also use digital technology to make Scotland’s artworks more accessible for everyone, wherever they live.”

The site under development is a B-listed Madelvic car factory, close to another storage facility for National Museums Scotland and Edinburgh College. It is believed to be the country’s largest cultural building designed to the Passivhaus standard, which includes sustainable building practices to minimise energy impact.

The lead architect, John McAslan and Partners, previously worked on The Burrell Collection in Glasgow. The firm will be supported by Buro Happold, Gross Max, Currie and Brown.

National Galleries of Scotland, which runs three sites across Edinburgh, has reprioritised some other areas of work including its summer exhibition at the Royal Scottish Academy in order to focus on the development of the Art Works.

It estimates that once open it will generate social and economic benefits worth more than £350m, with more than £2 returned to Scotland for every £1 invested.

The major capital project has previously received £56m from the Scottish Government, including £11.65m in its 2026/27 budget. It received planning permission from The City of Edinburgh Council in 2023.