Scotland’s newest museum is set to play a leading role in the continuing regeneration of Clyde Waterfront. Designed by internationally acclaimed architect Zaha Hadid and delivered on time to budget, the Riverside Museum is attracting world wide attention to its riverside location on the site of a former Clyde shipyard. 15 June 2011
The Riverside Museum opens on 21st June, as Glasgow's newest
museum and a symbol of regeneration on the River Clyde. The Riverside Museum has been
completed on time and on budget and is expected to create a tourist
hotspot this summer.
Zaha Hadid
The architect of this world-class building, Zaha Hadid comments:
"Through architecture, we can investigate future possibilities yet
also explore the cultural foundations that have defined the city.
The Riverside Museum is a fantastic and truly unique project where
the exhibits and building come together at this prominent and
historic location on the Clyde to enthuse and inspire all visitors.
The design, combining geometric complexity with structural
ingenuity and material authenticity, continues Glasgow's rich
engineering traditions and will be a part of the city's future as a
centre of innovation."
World class collection
Glasgow Museums' transport and technology collection is one of
the best in the world, with more than 21,000 objects dating from
about 1700 to the present day. The collection includes an
unrivalled Scottish car collection, a comprehensive collection of
Scottish-built locomotives, a small group of buses noted for their
innovative designs and a wide variety of horse-drawn vehicles. It
has the second largest fire-engine collection in the country, a
Spitfire, caravans, subway vehicles and a station, some very rare
commercial vehicles and a collection of cycles that includes the
oldest bicycle in the world. Also included are collections of
prams, disability transport, Riverside Museum's impressive displays
of cars and ship models are sure to delight visitors. The ship
model collection is unsurpassed anywhere in the world, and
represents the revolutionary changes in shipbuilding technology
that took place on the Clyde.
Award winning construction
The construction of the Riverside Museum has been achieved on
time and on budget by BAM - a testament to the contractor's
management. Construction brought work to around 3,000 people,
creating tens of millions of pounds in local contracts. In May,
BAM's approach won the Riverside project a bronze medal in the
national Considerate Constructors Award for it considerate
management, and it won excellent scores for its environmental
impact such as recycling of timber and waste
A catalyst for regeneration
With the Tall Ship
Glenlee moored alongside, Riverside Museum's location will be a
magnet for tourists and is expected to act as a catalyst for
further local development nearby.
Mark Barton, Marketing Manager at Clyde Waterfront Strategic
Partnership says,
"Despite the Clyde's hugely impressive transformation over recent
years, many Scots and tourists have never visited this world famous
river, even when in Glasgow. Fantastic new leisure venues like the
£74m Riverside Museum and the 12,500 seat Scottish Hydro Arena
which is close by and will open in 2013, will act as flagships for
further regeneration, attracting millions of new visitors.
"The Clyde Waterfront
website attracted an all time record of 20,000 visits last
month, many of whom were foreign, with the Riverside Museum being
easily the most popular search term. So in a sense, the new museum
is already making an important contribution to regeneration in the
area!"
Alan McAteer of McAteer Photograph, has been documenting the
Clyde's regeneration since 2005 and has followed the construction
of the Riverside Museum since it started 3 years ago. Alan says, "I
find the Riverside Museum to be a stunningly attractive building
from whichever angle you look. It's a dream to photograph as
its open aspect makes for great shots at any time of the day and
the architecture offers itself up for some very dramatic views.
It's already an iconic building in the Clyde Waterfront
landscape and the city's skyline and one that's sure to be
photographed again and again." See Riverside Museum images
here.
Getting there
This is being billed as one of the most accessible museums in
the world. Arrive by foot, bike, skateboard, car, bus, train,
subway, ferry, helicopter and even seaplane!
Find more information about getting to the Riverside
Museum.
Entry to the Riverside Museum is free but you will have to pay
to visit the Tall Ship Glenlee.
Opening on 21st June
With just days to go until launch, the Riverside Museum is a hot
topic right now, with coverage in local, national and international
press.