THE National Galleries of Scotland is to open its new Scottish galleries this Saturday following a ‘comprehensive’ transformation.
Led by Tilbury Douglas, the work included a complete refurbishment and extension to the attraction in the heart of Edinburgh city centre.
The physical display space in the gallery has been more than doubled, with 12 galleries set to allow visitors to dive into dramatic landscapes, encounter iconic images, and be wowed by art from 1800 to 1845.
Tilbury Douglas said that it ‘pushed the boundaries of engineering’ to deliver the client’s vision on what was an ‘extremely technically complex’ project. One such example was the creation of a new gallery space beneath the listed façade which included the use of contiguous piling, mini piling, needling and hydraulic jacking to retain the ground and building, whilst the concrete structure was formed beneath.
In addition, the project included safe removal of asbestos deposits; unanticipated damp and water ingress issues and undocumented obstructions, which the firm said added ‘significant complexity’ to the substructure work. Deeply buried layers of concrete had to be extracted, impacting on the sequencing of the works while managing the unique complexity of the engineering works, it added.
The first phase of the project was completed successfully in 2019. This included a new accessible path in East Princes Street Gardens, a new café, a refurbished restaurant and shop, an extensive sandstone terrace, and new landscaping to improve access to the gardens and the Galleries for all. As well as an accessible path and entrance, there are new lifts, a partial changing place facility, accessible toilets, and a pram store.
Barry O’Hagan, regional director – Scotland at Tilbury Douglas, said, “We are extremely proud to have been involved in this iconic project and to have delivered the works to such high quality. The team has risen to the highly complex engineering challenges and has pushed the boundaries.
“There is no doubt that the project was very technically challenging. However, our team has continually developed solutions and put in so much hard work to support the National Galleries of Scotland to deliver its vision for the new Scottish galleries.”
Sir John Leighton, director-general of the National Galleries of Scotland, added, “With this project we set out to transform the experience of visiting the National and to show the world’s greatest collection of Scottish art with real pride and ambition. With the new Scottish galleries at the National, we have achieved these aims and more. The gallery is more accessible than ever before and there is a stunning new display of 150 years of Scottish art in all its richness and depth. From this Saturday, everyone is welcome to discover a brilliant new experience, free, in the heart of our nation’s capital.”
