The Burrell Collection: A Modern, Greener Museum
G&T is privileged to have led a team of consultants on the major refurbishment of The Burrell Collection, a Category A Listed museum that originally opened to international acclaim in 1983 as one of the first demonstrations of Glasgow’s commitment to cultural-led regeneration.
Sir William Burrell devoted more than 75 years of his life to amassing one of the world’s greatest personal art collections which is housed within this architecturally significant museum building in Pollok Country Park. The collection includes 9,000 objects in total spanning 6,000 years of history, featuring Chinese pottery and porcelain, paintings by renowned French artists including Manet, Cézanne and Degas, Medieval treasures and over 200 tapestries and carpets, which are among the finest in the world.
The building was closed in 2016 whilst improvements were made to the building fabric and internal space as part of the Burrell Renaissance Project and re-opens to the public on 29th March 2022 as a modern and energy efficient museum.
Our project managers, cost managers and principal designers worked closely with the client Glasgow Life and led the project team comprising architect John McAslan + Partners, engineers Atelier Ten, David Narro and Arup, exhibition designers Event and main contractor Kier, to ensure the project enhanced and safeguarded the building’s future.
A key objective of the project was to improve the building fabric to make it more air and water tight, with new glazing to make it less susceptible to changes in heat. Upgrades of plant and systems means the building is more efficient and able to take advantage of new technologies in the future.
Internally the museum has been adapted to make it more accessible for visitors, with gallery space increased by 35% allowing previously hidden objects from the collection to go on show. This has been achieved by providing access to the lower floor and upper floors and creating new temporary exhibition space. A new entrance and central core now encourages visitors to journey through the galleries and across all three levels of the building.
We embarked on the redevelopment of this architecturally important and physically complex building, fully understanding the need for an intensely collaborative approach as part of the project team. We are proud to have helped deliver a publicly engaging, accessible and environmentally sophisticated Burrell experience that has re-energised this important cultural destination within the city.David Logue
G&T Partner and Lead Project Manager
All materials removed from the building were recycled, including stainless steel cladding, insulation and all of the glass. Overall 3,120m2 of glass was removed from site and recycled. The estimated saving from this is 27.53 tonnes of carbon dioxide – the equivalent of driving between Glasgow and London 118 times.
These upgrades mean The Burrell Collection has achieved a BREEAM rating of Excellent putting the museum in the top 10 per cent of energy efficient buildings in the UK, a significant achievement for the refurbishment and conservation of a Category-A listed building.
The project team undertook a comprehensive consultation programme, engaging with more than 15,000 local people to help shape every aspect of the redesign of the building and spaces around it.
The Burrell Collection is a place where everyone is welcome to appreciate one of the greatest personal collections ever assembled, housed in one of Scotland’s favourite modern buildings. Its A-listed home has been repaired and upgraded, its environmental performance has been dramatically improved, new displays have been created and thousands of local people were consulted about what they wanted to see. Visitors will be able to see more of the collection, more of the building itself and spend more time in Pollok Country Park. We look forward to welcoming the world to enjoy this spectacular museum.Councillor Susan Aitken
Leader of Glasgow City Council
The Burrell Renaissance project is the second of three Arts and Heritage projects delivered for Glasgow Life including the Kelvin Hall redevelopment which completed in 2017, and the current Kelvin Hall TV and Film Studios project.