Project: Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh
Client: National Museums of Scotland
Architect/Designer: Benson & Forsyth, London
Main Contractor: Watson Stonecraft, West Lothian

In 1991 architects Benson + Forsyth were selected as winners of the architectural competition to design the new Museum of Scotland. It is a striking and impressive achievement, beautifully framed by its surroundings, by Edinburgh?s Old and New Towns, and the landscape beyond. From the Museum?s roof-top garden visitors have an unrivalled view of the historical as well as architectural context of the new building. Edinburgh Castle, Greyfriars Kirk, the Scott Monument, the spires and pinnacles of the city, the sea, and the hills beyond interact with the new museum, reinforcing its role as a central point in the nation?s heritage, a protector of Scotland?s treasures. The inspiration for the design has come from national building traditions, and visitors may well be reminded of a castle, but also perhaps of brochs, tower houses, and tenements.

Responding to the scale and character of its surroundings, to the medieval streets and the elegant geometry of the Enlightenment city, the Museum creates a core gallery, a central space, enwrapped by a protecting curtain wall, and set off by a circular corner tower, a threshold space for the new building. The exterior walls are clad in golden Clashach sandstone from Morayshire, with natural figuring evoking windblown sand. The frame of the building utilises cathedral grade concrete, a material remarkable in itself for its quality. Limestone, beech (supplied and installed by McKay Flooring Ltd.), and smooth plaster are used throughout the interior. The interior conveys to visitors a great feeling of light and space. Structural form, light, and the choice of finishes will create interior spaces in a subtle interaction with the themes and contents of the galleries. Visitors are encouraged to look out of the Museum, both literally and metaphorically. The architects? achievement has been to create for visitors an experience where the building and its contents communicate together, where the stories the objects have to tell are enhanced by the atmosphere and character of the setting.