Building PR by Sutherland
Hussey
image from Sutherland Hussey Architects
Situated in the historic village of Alloway the museum celebrates the
Scottish poet Robert Burns: his birth place and a rich collection of related
artefacts.
image from Sutherland Hussey Architects
A new structure intended to replace the existing early 20th century museum,
will create an environment in which people will form a greater understanding
of Burn's poetry, songs and music whilst connecting visitors to the natural
landscape - where his creativity was formed.
The initial move was to reposition the museum and take advantage of the
wider context (existing meadow with surrounding woodland), creating a
hierarchy of public and private spaces.
Burns Heritage Museum: image from Sutherland Hussey
Architects
Arriving at the site, the visitor will approach through an elegant public
garden, dominated by four mature Irish Yew trees. Due to the intimate
scale of the Burns Cottage the main volume of the museum is located at
the lowest part of the naturally sloping site and the permanent galleries,
partly sunken and flanked by a bern, connect the visitor to the cottage.
Burns Museum Scotland: image from Sutherland Hussey
Architects
The museum is conceived as three built components:
Timber Box
A steel constructed volume clad with a bleached Douglas Fir hood signals
the entrance point. A small café, located above the reglit glazed
ground floor entrance, connects to a temporary gallery with views to the
landscape beyond.
Education Centre
The education centre will be a separately accessed timber framed volume,
also clad in bleached Douglas Fir. The location of the centre also allows
for a separate, dedicated outdoor area for use by schools and other parties.
Permanent Galleries
Separated into three wings, the single storey galleries reduce in height
as they ramp up from the lowest part of the site towards the cottage,
creating intimate exhibition spaces and a reference to the final exhibit
- the cottage.
Robert Burns Museum: image from Sutherland Hussey Architects
Clad in moulded concrete panels towards the public garden and a grass
bern facing the parkland beyond, this volume designed to be a subtle landscape
form culminates in a covered journey, gradually revealing glimpses of
the poets birthplace. Located in the public garden, an amphitheatre for
summer performances and recitals, leads the visitor to a route above the
permanent galleries, allowing extensive views of the site and the town
of Alloway.
image from Sutherland Hussey Architects
In September 2003 the Burns National Heritage Park submitted an application
for Stage 1 Heritage Lottery Funding. The Heritage Museum was a collaborative
project with Graven Images and Carrick
Architects.
More Sutherland Hussey Architecture:
An Turas, Tiree, Scotland
Burns Museum Consultants
QS/Project Manager/Planning Supervisor - Armour Construction
Structural Engineers - McLay Collier and Partners
Service Engineers - Faber Maunsell
Contemporary
Architects
Alexander
Thomson
Architecture
Books
Scottish
Architecture
Glasgow News : back to index
More info on Sutherland Hussey buildings welcome: adrian welch / isabelle
lomholt
Sutherland
Hussey Architects - Website: www.sutherlandhussey.co.uk