The new £74m home for Glasgow's transport collection has been completed and the keys handed over to the city council.
The city of Glasgow has just received an early Christmas present
- the keys to the Riverside Museum, the new home of Glasgow's
world-class transport collection.
Until now, the £74million museum and its site have been the
responsibility of building contractor BAM, who were tasked with
constructing the iconic building. With the museum all but complete,
ownership of the site has now been handed over to Glasgow City
Council.
Riverside Museum, designed by Stirling Prize-winner Zaha Hadid,
is one of the most complex engineering projects in Britain at the
moment, and has already won plaudits for its design. Construction
of the new museum started in 2007.
Councillor Gordon Matheson, Leader of Glasgow City Council,
said: "I am delighted that the new Riverside Museum has been handed
over to the city. The building itself is a feat of engineering, and
BAM has done a fantastic job turning Zaha Hadid's ambitious design
into what I'm sure will become one of the city's most recognisable
and popular buildings."
BAM is expected to remain on site for a few more weeks, with
only the landscaping, the south façade and some snagging to finish.
And while the handover marks a massive milestone for the Riverside
Museum, the museum itself will remain under wraps for a few more
months: Riverside Museum is due to open in late spring 2011.
Councillor Matheson added: "With the Tall Ship Glenlee berthed
alongside, the Riverside Museum is certain to become an iconic
image of Glasgow. It represents the city's rich and proud heritage
as well as its ambitions and potential for the future. I, like many
Glaswegians, am very excited about Riverside's opening next year.
It really is a world-class building, fit for a world-class
collection in the care of a world-class city."
Source: Glasgow Life