Glasgow's Burrell Collection refurbishment will create a sustainable future

The ambitious redisplay of one of the greatest global art collections ever amassed by one person, is taking place inside an improved and upgraded building for the future, charity Glasgow Life has confirmed.

Shipping company owner Sir William Burrell devoted more than 75 years of his life to amassing 9,000 works of art, one of the world’s greatest, single personal collections. He and his wife Constance, Lady Burrell, gifted The Collection to the City of Glasgow in 1944.

Work is progressing at the Burrell Collection

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Opening in Pollok Country Park in 1983 it was seen as a cultural driver to help Glasgow reinvent itself.

It closed to the public in 2016 for the refurbishment which has been taking place since then.

Glasgow Life, the arms-length organisation which runs culture and leisure on behalf of the city council, says the refurbished building, with new gallery spaces, displays and facilities will be an exemplar of sustainable low carbon design.

The museum’s environmental performance has been enhanced by greatly improving the building’s exterior and by replacing power, heating and lighting systems with more efficient sustainable technologies. Subject to formal validation, it is anticipated that a BREEAM rating of Excellent will be achieved.

The Burrell Collection external construction.

Councillor Susan Aitken, Glasgow City Council leader, said: “The Burrell Collection is globally appreciated for its breadth, beauty and exceptional quality. Glasgow’s ambition is to give it the home it needs for the generations to come, giving the objects a more secure environment, while at the same time being more sustainable.

"The changes made to the fabric of the building to make it more air-tight and water-tight, and new glazing make it far less susceptible to changes in heat, and the upgrades of plant and systems means the building will be far more efficient, and able to take advantage of new technologies in the future to lessen its impact further. The project is realising a new, more sustainable future for The Burrell Collection and will keep searching for ways to improve the building’s performance further when it opens.”

Working to a design by John McAslan + Partners and with the services and energy strategy developed by Atelier 10, the building’s environmental performance and sustainability has been improved by repairing and replacing the glazing and the roof to improve the thermal envelope performance by approximately 50 per cent - critical for a museum due to the stringent temperature and humidity control needed for conservation.

The Burrell Collection Arabesque Carpet install complete.

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There is also enhanced air permeability performance that exceeds that expected of most new buildings.

New intelligent controls have been installed which allows for ventilation based on demand, allowing the air handlers to slow down or switch off when air treatment is not required.

New chillers with heat recovery reclaiming waste that would otherwise be disposed of in the atmosphere will be used to heat the entrance.

Solar panels will generate a peak electricity supply of 140kW to provide carbon-free power to both the building and electric vehicles within the wider Pollok Country Park.

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.

The Burrell Collection received £3m in last month's Budget. The announcement from Chancellor Rishi Sunak came as The Herald is leading a campaign calling for a greater funding deal for the city’s cultural assets and attractions.

We are calling on both the Scottish and UK governments to agree a new funding deal, with the latest £3m for the Burrell going some way towards delivering a fairer deal for the city.

It's culture and leisure venues were severely hit during the pandemic with a loss of income.

David Cameron, Director of Atelier Ten said: “Transforming a Grade-A listed museum building of national importance such as The Burrell Collection brings many challenges but the aim of producing an environmental responsive and low energy solution always gave momentum to meet and overcome these challenges. The refurbishment of the façade: the very skin of the building, which acts to protect the interior environment against Glasgow’s notoriously inclement weather, demonstrates the significant work which has gone into improving the building. Thermal performance is being enhanced by approximately 50 per cent as a result of the changes made, cloaking the building in a protective 'jacket' for the foreseeable future and ensuring the exceptional collection is kept in the best conditions.”

Pollok Country Park’s Active Travel Management Plan, which has been developed alongside the building refurbishment, will improve access to The Burrell Collection and wider park for visitors travelling by public transport, bike or on foot. This delivers an improved path network and associated signage, bike hire and bike racks, an electric shuttle bus, as well as electric car charging points.

Many of the Collection’s important and unique objects, which have not been seen for decades, or have never been on permanent display, will now go on show thanks to the 35% increase in the museum’s gallery space, made possible by the refurbishment.

An inclusive approach to interpretation, including dynamic digital, tactile and hands on displays will give more visitors a better understanding of the outstanding works of artistic, historical and cultural significance within the collection and the people who made, used or owned them.

Highlights include of the collection include Chinese pottery and porcelain produced over a 5,000-year period, making it one of the most significant collections of Chinese art in Europe; paintings by renowned French artists including Manet, Cézanne and Degas; Medieval treasures including stained glass, arms and armour, and over 200 tapestries and carpets, which are among the finest in the world.

The rarest piece is the Wagner Garden carpet which is one of the three earliest surviving Persian garden carpets in the world. The refurbishment provides the opportunity to place it on permanent display for the first time, using innovative methods of interpretation to offer a far deeper appreciation of this magnificent piece of Islamic art than ever before.