A unique partnership between McLaughlin & Harvey, Glasgow City Council, the University of Glasgow and the National Library of Scotland has seen a complete transformation of the original, iconic Kelvin Hall. Reopened to the public in 2016, the Category B listed building now hosts the Hunterian Museum, Scottish Screen Archives and also provides a state-of-the-art multi-use sport and education facility.

Phase one of the £26m redevelopment has seen a complete transformation of the original interior to host a wealth of facilities, including:

·         Sports halls

·         Gym

·         Fitness suites

·         Teaching facilities

·         Archival storage

·         Research facilities

The existing external fabric has been fully refurbished, including a new roof and elements of new build infill. A new entrance pavilion invites people into the building from Argyle Street, leading to a welcome foyer and café. From here a central ‘avenue’ runs the full length of the ground and first floors, connecting a series of three-storey light wells.

Glimpses into the various facilities are provided along its length promoting a cross pollination of ideas between different building users. For example, a participant in a dance class may be inspired by the display of Mackintosh furniture through a window into an archive and vice versa.

What was the entrance to Glasgow’s Museum of Transport is now the largest fitness suite in Glasgow. Above this, three new fitness studios with sprung floors offer modern facilities below the arched concrete trussed rood. The larger of the two arches provides space for two large multi-purpose sports halls and archive stores for Glasgow Museum and The Hunterian.

Out with the arched areas of the halls are facilities for the Scottish Screen Archive, The Hunterian and a suite of teaching laboratories for The University of Glasgow. This is capped with a new rooftop office and study area sitting as a pavilion above the existing building below.

In addition to the developments commitment to community benefits McLaughlin & Harvey have supported the development of a volunteering programme. The first phase of the volunteering programmes focussed on organising volunteers to act as ‘tour guides’, opening up access to the new building and to support orientation.

The second phase of the programme provided more in-depth roles for the volunteers combining the tour guide role and the navigation of the collections. The collections of Glasgow’s museums are a vital resource for the education of young people and intrinsic to lifelong learning commitments. These rich and diverse collections include everyday household items, objects of scientific discovering, technical inventions, vehicles, paintings by new and legendary artists, the unique and obscure.

They open-up the past so that everyone can explore the roots of Scottish culture and the contributions to the world in terms of people, inventions, ingenuity and ideas. The programme is about people developing a sense of their place in the world at the same time fostering inter-cultural understanding through the collections, objects, film, paintings and everything in between.

The overall aim of the Kelvin Hall volunteering programme was to embed community engagement and participation securely at the heart of the redevelopment. Through a variety of interactive, reflective and hands on opportunities, the programme aimed to help volunteers (cultural ambassadors) to develop their skills, confidence, creating thinking and to collaborate in new ways with each other, making new connections with the wider community across the city.

McLaughlin & Harvey’s ability to deliver is best demonstrated in the repeat business they have received from Glasgow Life. Since completion of Phase 1, they have also delivered the refurbishment works for Phase 2 of the project. You can learn more about the project here > www.mclh.co.uk/projects/kelvin-hall-redevelopment-glasgow/  

This case study was brought to you by McLaughlin & Harvey – who’ll be sponsoring and exhibiting at the Scottish Universities Development Plans Conference next week. At the conference we’ll be hearing about estate masterplan’s from several higher education institutions including the University of Glasgow and University of Edinburgh.