The National Museum of Scotland houses priceless collections, from ancient artefacts to contemporary displays.

Max Fordham was involved in developing the masterplan for the phased refurbishment of the Grade-A listed building. We also provided environmental and building services design, as well as acoustic consultancy, to create a new entrance, 16 new galleries, new circulation routes, shops and restaurants.

Before this process started, a new off-site store was built to provide efficient conditioned storage for the sensitive exhibits. Our design strategy was to use as much of the public space in the manner that was originally intended, without intrusive or expensive conditioning. The project won the coveted RIAS Doolan Prize for the best building in Scotland in 2011 - the highest value architecture prize in the UK.