The redevelopment of the National Museum of Scotland will
transform the magnificent Victorian Royal Museum building and its
facilities into a must-see, 21st century museum attraction for
people from Scotland and around the world.
The project will include the fit-out of sixteen brand new
galleries covering diverse themes ranging from the earliest origins
of the universe, through natural history, science, invention,
discovery and popular culture.
Beck Interiors will fit out the new galleries, along with a
spectacular object wall in the famous soaring Victorian atrium of
the Grand Gallery. The wall will rise the full four storey, 18
metre height of the Gallery and comprise two panels each 13 metres
in width. In total it will hold nearly 1000 items from the Museum’s
collections.
Fiona Bell, Project Director for the Royal Museum Project
said:
“Our selection board rated Beck very highly in terms of both the
quality of their submission and their competitive pricing. They
have a proven track record of delivering projects of this scale and
complexity, and we look forward to working with them to deliver
this key phase of the project to transform the National Museum of
Scotland.”
The fit-out will include flooring, walling, electrical
distribution, preparing the new galleries for object installation.
It will include showcases, graphics, plinths for objects and over
100 mechanical, audio visual and computer based interactives.
The contract is worth approximately £5 million and is expected
to run from September 2010 to May 2011, with the redeveloped
National Museum of Scotland due to open in summer 2011. The overall
project is currently in the construction phase, with Balfour Beatty
carrying out the major structural works, and is on track in terms
of both time and budget.
It promises to be a varied and interesting project for the
company, dealing with exhibits and galleries across subjects as
varied as the natural world and world cultures to industry,
innovation and science. Objects vary in size and scope from the
jaws of a sperm whale and a girder from the Tay Bridge to a tiny
crystal of Sacrolite from the slopes of Mount Vesuvius.
Graham Wakeford, Director of Beck Interiors Ltd, said:
“It is an absolute privilege to be included on the team for this
prestigious project, the transformation of the Museum will be truly
iconic. We are very fortunate to have the opportunity to be part of
this historic project and work along side a fabulously focused
client team and one of the most influential designers in the world.
We are committed to transforming the two dimensional design into
three dimensional reality to an unrivalled quality. We have the
pleasure of working closely with a number of local specialists
which is positive for the project and overall transformation of the
Museum.”
Formed in 1995, Beck Interiors Ltd have previously worked on
major museum developments including Leeds City Museum, The Great
North Museum, Summerlee Heritage Park, Ulster Museum and
international projects such as Bahrain National Monument, Hong Kong
Wetland Park and Jordan Children’s Museum, as well as other
exhibition and interior work for clients across numerous sectors
including high end hotels, Private residential, Commercial and
retail projects.
Notes to Editors
The Royal Museum Project is part of a £70 million Masterplan, an
ambitious redevelopment of the whole Chambers Street complex driven
by a need to bring the National Museum into the 21st century, make
it relevant and attractive to contemporary audiences and create a
truly world-class museum for Scotland.
Please note that National Museums Scotland (no ‘of’ or ‘the’) is
our corporate name. Our individual museums are called the National
Museum of Scotland, the National Museum of Flight, the National
Museum of Rural Life, the National Museum of Costume and the
National War Museum.
An artists impression of
the Grand Gallery is available.
For more information or images, please contact Bruce Blacklaw,
Press Office, Tel (0131) 247 4165 or email b.blacklaw@nms.ac.uk