Scotland’s largest Heritage Lottery Fund award was granted this week to Gareth Hoskins Architects’ revamp of the Royal Museum in Edinburgh. The £16.8 million sum is major boost to the £44 million first phase of the project, which will see the grade A listed building transformed by 2011. Hoskins, who beat architects including Allies & Morrison and Terry Farrell in a competition for the £70 million job two years ago, welcomed the award. “This is a big job in terms of prominence,” he said. “We have also had positive noises from the Scottish Executive in terms of match funding.”
The first phase of the scheme will see the street frontage outside the museum opened up, the opening of 16 new galleries and the creation of a new Grand Gallery. The museum, opened in 1866, will also benefit from new glass lifts, an internet cafe and a children’s centre.The Lottery fund has given £162 million to Scottish museums over the past 10 years.