3 June 2011
The new £74m Riverside Museum in Glasgow has been unveiled for the
first time.
Situated on the banks of the River Clyde in
the heart of the city’s harbour development, the new museum will
reinforce Glasgow's global transport heritage, giving visitors
access to more than 3000 exhibits.
Capita Symonds provided project management,
CDMC and QS services on the Zaha Hadid designed scheme.
Outside, The Tall Ship Glenlee is moored in
front of the museum’s dramatic south façade, bringing her together,
for the very first time, with the city’s unrivalled ship model
collection, and creating a dramatic and iconic international
destination. The Glenlee is one of only five Clyde-built sailing
vessels afloat in the world today and the only one in the UK.
The museum’s other major attractions have been
designed and built into the structure of the building, with some
arriving before the completion of the structure, such is their
size. Highlights include the Wall of Cars; the hanging Bicycle
Velodrome; a South African Locomotive; No9 Tank Engine; Motorbike
Deck; Ship Launch Show; the Rest and Be Thankful; and three
re-created period streets.
As well as the old, there are more recent star
attractions including Graeme Obree’s hand-made bikes which made him
a world-champion, and the late Colin McRae’s Subaru Impreza that he
drove to win the World Rally Car Championship.
...Glasgow is a city transformed, from post industrial wasteland, to a global destination for culture and sport. The eyes of the world will be on us in 2014 as we host the Commonwealth Games, but as the Riverside Museum demonstrates, we have more than just our sporting legacy to shout about...
Danny MacAskill became a YouTube sensation
after the release of his terrifying video ‘Way Back Home’. At the
museum, visitors can see the bike made famous through gravity
defying stunts and social media.
The new museum has been funded by Glasgow City
Council, the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Riverside Museum
Appeal.
Councillor Gordon Matheson, the Leader of
Glasgow City Council, said: “Glasgow’s history as an industrial
giant, a global leader in engineering and shipbuilding, is
celebrated in an architectural masterpiece which shows that we
remain at the cutting edge of design and technology. On the same
spot where ships and paddle steamers were built, the launch of the
Riverside Museum is an occasion which both Glasgow and Scotland can
be proud of. While we celebrate our past, we are determined to look
to the future. Indeed, now there are more people working in Glasgow
in culture and tourism than ever worked in the shipyards even at
their height.”
“Glasgow is a city transformed, from post
industrial wasteland, to a global destination for culture and
sport. The eyes of the world will be on us in 2014 as we host the
Commonwealth Games, but as the Riverside Museum demonstrates, we
have more than just our sporting legacy to shout about.”
More than 1,200 people have worked on the
project, since it was given the initial go-ahead in 2002 and work
on-site at the historic Pointhouse Quay, began in 2007. The main
contractors, BAM, described the building of the massive, 2,500
tonnes steel roof, without any internal supporting columns, as the
most challenging engineering feat in the UK today. An additional
3,000 people worked on the various construction contracts to build
the museum and quayside public realm.
Colin McLean, Head of the Heritage Lottery
Fund in Scotland, said: “The Heritage Lottery Fund grant to
Riverside is the biggest grant we have ever given to a project in
Scotland. We recognised the ambition to revitalise an outstanding
transport and engineering collection in a way which would breathe
new life into both the exhibits and this stretch of the river. The
results have surpassed all that we hoped for and I have no doubt
that this Heritage Lottery investment will entertain, educate and
inspire generations to come.”
The Riverside Museum opens to the public on
21st June.
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Photo (c) Lenny Warren / Warren Media