Architecture+Design Scotland

Show navigation

The Scottish National Portrait Gallery

The Scottish National Portrait Gallery (SNPG) opens once again on 1 December, following an ambitious £17.6 m restoration project and with an entirely new presentation of its collection. The project – the first major refurbishment in the Gallery’s 120-year history – has restored much of the architect’s original vision, opening up previously inaccessible parts of the building and increasing the public space by more than 60 percent. It has also added a range of new facilities that will transform visitors’ experience of the Gallery.

The refurbishment of the Gallery, an outstanding Arts and Crafts building designed by the celebrated architect Sir Robert Rowand Anderson, has been overseen by Glasgow-based architects Page \ Park. The architects' design has restored many of the building’s original features, which had been hidden behind an accumulation of twentieth-century interventions, while incorporating essential modern services, such as the great glass lift that will take visitors up through the heart of the building. The remodeling of the ground floor has improved circulation for visitors, as well as providing an open and airy view along the entire length of the building. Office space has been cleverly accommodated in a new mezzanine level and, for the first time there is an education suite, with a seminar room and studio space. In addition, the Gallery’s ever-popular café and shop have doubled in size.

The refurbished Gallery will also make use of a number of pioneering techniques to achieve a significant reduction in energy consumption. Using the mass of the building, new insulation and sophisticated controls to permit slow changes over wider ranges of temperature and humidity, the gallery spaces will use 42 percent less energy that previously. Lighting will be by cutting-edge, low-energy LEDs (light-emitting diodes) which combine economy with excellent colour rendering qualities. 

Architects Page\Park describe in detail, below, their approach to this high profile architectural project.

Background: The Collection
The SNPG opened in 1889 as the world’s first purpose-built portrait gallery and is now an iconic landmark in the heart of Scotland’s capital. Over the past century, its collection of portraits has grown to become one of the largest and finest in the world, comprising 3,000 paintings and sculptures, 25,000 prints and drawings. This distinctive red sandstone building also houses the national collection of photography with some 38,000 historic and modern photographs.

For the first time since the Gallery was established, access to the exhibition spaces on all three levels has been opened up. The restoration of the suite of top-lit galleries on the upper floor has created display spaces and, as a result, a much greater proportion of the collection will be on show.

The New Displays
The new displays will follow a chronological pattern but will also focus on various themes and subjects in greater depth, exploring the richness of Scottish history and culture in a more cohesive and interconnected way, and telling the story of its people and places through the lens of the visual arts. Individual portraits – from Mary, Queen of Scots to Dr Who actor Karen Gillen – will be set in a broader context of thematic displays ranging from the Reformation to the present day.

Supported by loans from other collections, and by a fresh approach to information and interpretation, including trails, themes and an interactive touchscreen gallery, this new presentation of the permanent collection will help bring to life the portraits and the stories behind them, as well as exploring many facets of Scottish life and the nation’s wider influence throughout the world. The displays are designed to change and evolve so that over time, the public will have access to different aspects of the collection.

The Photography Gallery
The new Portrait Gallery will, for the first time, include a major space dedicated to showcasing the Gallery’s collection of Scottish and international photography, as well as newly commissioned work by contemporary photographers. The significance of photography will be emphasised throughout the Gallery, where it will be integrated into many of the displays.

The Contemporary Gallery
On the ground floor, The Contemporary Gallery will bring the story up to date, with a series of displays from the Gallery’s collection of contemporary portraits, special loan exhibitions, and commissions from some of Scotland’s most celebrated contemporary artists.

The Learning Programme
An extensive learning programme complementing the new displays, called Portrait of the Nation: Live! will be an integral part of the re-invention of the SNPG. This has been devised to engage a very broad range of visitors, both on- and off-site, as well as on-line.

Funding
The £17.8 million refurbishment has been funded by contributions from the Scottish Government, the Heritage Lottery Fund and a number of trusts. This has been supported by a public campaign which has given donors the chance to sponsor historical figures in the frieze created by William Hole in the Gallery’s Great Hall; individual stars in Hole’s mural mapping of the night sky, which adorns the Hall’s ceiling; or to include a photograph in 'Put Yourself in the Picture', an electronic donor screen and online gallery.

Phase 1 - Funding Details for the Project:
Scottish Government £7.1 million
Heritage Lottery Fund £4.8 million
Trusts £4.1 million
Individuals and Corporate £1.6 million
Total: £17.6 million

Circulation and Access for All by Page\Park Architects

The Scottish National Portrait Gallery is a remarkable Edinburgh building, held in great affection by many. In part this is related to its:
- Distinctive urban form.
- Witty baronial gothic aspect set in the heart of Edinburgh New Town.
- The unique juxtaposition of exquisite taste and robust industrial technologies.

There is a general presumption against altering the historic fabric without good reason but underlying the delightful form of the building was its subdivision between two users, the National Galleries and National Museums. Various investments over the last decade have freed the building to be reconciled into one gallery necessitating an exciting and unifying change. Two issues were seen as a priority, circulation and freeing up gallery space from support functions.

North South Section

Although the plan of the building was fundamentally extremely lucid, the circulation pattern, in practice, was very poor: in particular the walk to the top floor was a long one, and disappointingly few visitors ever found their way there. At the same time some of the existing potential gallery space was taken up by support functions

East West Section

The solution to movement in the building lay in a number of strategies related to overcoming the limitations of the existing entrance:

- The creation of two new openings on either side of the existing entrance vestibule at ground floor level. This immediately opens up options for the visitor, obviously retaining the magnificent formal approach but also encouraging new flows around the building through the contemporary galleries, seminar room, café and shop.

- The improvement of the vertical circulation through the gallery by exploiting
the opening to the east in immediately offering visitors a new, large glass,
multi-purpose lift that can take them to the higher floors, particularly the top
floor.

- The remodeling of the entrance steps to allow wheel-chair access. (The
former ramp leading to a side door has been removed).

Main Elevation

The freeing up of gallery floors for display has been overcome again by a number of approaches:

- By exploiting the existing mezzanine floors at each end of the building and at the front in the centre between the ground and first floor levels -new, ramped, legible mezzanine floors have been added to connect them to the lift and each other. Apart from disabled access, these mezzanines will provide the answers to several problems: additional usable space for cellular and open plan offices, storage and an alternative escape route. The insertion of these floors, conceived in the manner of inserting a ship into a bottle has transformed the potential of the upper levels for maximum display.

- Exploiting the undercroft of these mezzanines on one wing are the
educational facilities. A new seminar room has been formed to the east end of the ground floor and a new flexible use, open plan education suite is provided adjacent to the new toilet facilities. The other mezzanine wing undercroft houses the shop, café with kitchen.

- In order to create the enfilade of top-lit gallery spaces at the upper level, the library joinery work has been carefully disassembled and moved to the first floor level to form a new library space where light can be more effectively controlled. This has allowed a symmetrical suite of five top-lit picture galleries for the historical collection.

- New Staff facilities are provided in the basement below the Great Hall. These include seating, dining, kitchen, changing, shower and toilet facilities.

Ground Floor Plan

Conservation
Externally, the principal effect is the completion of the programme of restoration of the stonework and windows. Internally the significance of the various elements of the building, as set down in the Conservation Plan, have allowed for their careful conservation and protection. It was
a primary goal of this project to put the existing Antiquaries Library space, the top-lit east gallery and the whole of the middle floor east gallery back into public use, displaying the Galleries’ permanent collections and housing temporary exhibitions.

First Floor Plan

Renovation
Although the envelope of the building had been well maintained the interior of the building had become worn in its finishes, especially in the disused, former Museum, spaces, and floors were unsuitably covered. The aim was to improve the safety of the Collection from fire and water, be adaptable and flexible to suit the changing needs of a gallery environment and deliver a high quality product that would stand up to the ongoing wear and tear of a gallery environment and reduce maintenance and lifecycle costs

However, the main renovation issue was the replacement of old and inadequate plant and the installation of proper, modern services appropriate to a national art gallery. All service interventions within the building have been undertaken in a sensitive and considered manner coordinating with Architectural Interventions where appropriate.

Mezzanine

Restoration
Throughout the building, temporary partitions, lowered ceilings and window blockings have, where practically possible been carefully removed to allow the robust spaces to work as originally intended. The top lit galleries on the upper floor east have been returned to their original conformation.
Second Floor Plan

All Images: © National Galleries of Scotland, photography by John Mckenzie.

Main Image: © National Galleries of Scotland, photograph by Chris Watt

All Drawings: © Page \ Park Architects