BAM Construction has been chosen to deliver a £10 million revamp of Perth Museum and Art Gallery in a project tipped to attract more visitors to the city.
Perth and Kinross Council is making the investment, which will result in a “major overhaul” of the building and the creation of a new collection store in the city. The local authority has appointed BAM to carry out the work on the museum with the overall design of the project led by architectural firm Hoskins.
Council Leader Ian Miller said, “The development at the Museum and Art Gallery is fantastic.The museum will be refurbished to make it more modern and accessible and it will have updated facilities with more display space. I think it will deliver tangible benefits for the people of Perth and I hope it encourages many more people in Perth and Kinross, and wider afield, to visit one of our best cultural assets.”
Bruce Dickson, BAM regional director added, “We have a long track record on heritage and cultural projects and Perth Museum and Art Gallery provides a great opportunity to continue our work in this sector. It is particularly encouraging to be invited to get involved right at the outset of the project which allows the whole team to engage productively with the single aim of designing and delivering an exceptional end result for our clients from day one.”
Helen Smout, chief executive of Culture Perth and Kinross said, “This is the first of many important milestones in an exciting journey which will dramatically transform our cultural landscape, not just in the city centre but throughout Perth and Kinross. The multi-million pound transformation of Perth Museum and Art Gallery will create the modern museum experience expected by the general public, allow Culture Perth and Kinross to showcase a much larger portion of Perth’s incredible collections, and attract more big name touring exhibitions.”
Perth Museum and Art Gallery will close to the public in late 2018 – early 2019. Before the museum closes, all items will be wrapped and transferred into the new collections store.
The museum will stage a ‘review and more’ exhibition on from 14 February showing some of the objects that are being moved, beginning with costumes, and how they are packed and stored.
hub East Central Scotland are the procurement group involved with the project. Gary Bushnell, chief executive, hub East Central Scotland said, “We are working closely with all stakeholders involved in the project and look forward to managing it to successful completion, creating a unique new home for the museum and gallery.”
