Architecture practice AL_A has released its proposal to transform the Paisley Museum in Scotland. The museum is undergoing the transformation to accommodate visitors from Scotland, the UK and abroad. Led by Stirling Prize winn, the team plans to restore and reinvigorate the existing museum. The new design is made to showcase the stories of a Scottish town whose influence has reached around the globe.
The new museum project will include a number of changes, including a fully accessible entrance courtyard with a glazed entrance hall. The move aims to create a dynamic and inviting presence on High Street and a new face for the museum. At the same time, a new wing will be added to the west of the building, in addition to an outdoor garden to create a new public space for the town. Amanda Levete, principal of AL_A, said: “The brief for Paisley Museum is one of the most radical I’ve encountered. Paisley has a proud industrial past and a history of innovation and radical thinking. We have embedded this into our design to create an extraordinary place for the community of Paisley.”
Inside, renovations will be made to improve accessibility and circulation, deliver international environmental standards for gallery spaces, and allow the museum to more than double the number of objects on display. There will also be an interactive weaving studio to celebrate the town’s traditional textile skills. Cllr Lisa-Marie Hughes, chair of Renfrewshire Leisure, said: “Few places of Paisley’s size can claim such global impact – the town created a global fashion icon, was once the centre of the world’s textile industry, and Paisley people have shaped the world for centuries with their creativity. The reopened museum will celebrate all of that and more, by using Paisley’s outstanding collections to retell the stories of those people, and give the world a reason to come back to Paisley."
The Paisley Museum Reimagined project includes Round One funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Scottish Government's Regeneration Capital Grant Fund. The museum transformation is the flagship project within Renfrewshire Council’s £100m investment in venues and outdoor spaces aimed at using Paisley's unique and internationally-significant cultural and heritage story to transform the area's future.
Team List - Architect: AL_A. Conservation Architect: Giles Quarme & Associates. Engineering: Arup. Landscape Architect: GROSS.MAX. Exhibition Design: OPERA Amsterdam. Quantity Surveyors: Gardiner & Theobald
The Paisley Museum project aims to open in 2022.
