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Inverness Museum set for bling revamp

December 22 2015

Inverness Museum set for bling revamp
The grey lump of Inverness Museum is to be spruced up with a bling new overcoat following submission of an improvement plan by Highland Council.

This will see new perforated light gold coloured anodised aluminium cladding attached to existing concrete cladding panels to spruce up the dilapidated structure pending wholesale redevelopment in the longer term.

Imprinted upon the façade is an abstract representation of the River Ness, developed in conjunction with artist Lucy Woodley.
In their design statement Threesixty Architecture said: “The panels will be perforated with varying diameters of circle to create a pattern based on a map of Inverness and the surrounding area. In addition it is possible to varyingly etch and polish the surface of the panels to provide additional texture to the pattern.

“The cladding will be supported on rails fixed to the existing wall surfaces. Lighting will be fitted in a strip along the bottom of the cladding to back-light the panels providing a gradiated glow through the perforations.”

Subject to approval work could commence next summer.
In the longer term it is hoped to redevelop the museum site
In the longer term it is hoped to redevelop the museum site
Panels will be back-lit by LED lights at night
Panels will be back-lit by LED lights at night

8 Comments

Sven
#1 Posted by Sven on 22 Dec 2015 at 14:09 PM
The Highland Council is moving forward in its purchase of Inverness Castle with a view of the Museum and Gallery moving there and knocking these horrid monstrous buildings down. So why waste money on highlighting what is already the ugliest building in Inverness? Anyone visiting Inverness is struck by the sheer vulgarity and tastlessness of them. The pictures above do not show the position of these buildings, right next to the river, with the red sandstone castle on the brow and Georgian and Victorian buildings around it. The sheer rank ugliness of which was wonderfully written by Bill Bryson in Notes from a Small Country:".. I...was positively riveted with astonishment to realize than an entire town could be ruined by two inanimate structures. Everything about them - scale, materials, shape, design - was madly inappropriate to the surrounding scene. They weren't just ugly and large but so ill-planned that you could actually walk around them at least twice without ever identifying the main entrance....It was awful, awful beyond words".

I have to pray that the latest cuts of Highland Council's budget will kill off this latest attempt at polishing a turd as they can wrap it in lights and colour it gold but it still remain, inexorably, a turd of a building.
Fraser
#2 Posted by Fraser on 22 Dec 2015 at 15:13 PM
This does not convince me, it seems a rather odd way to approach this project.
Fraser
#3 Posted by Fraser on 22 Dec 2015 at 18:34 PM
And why gold panelling? There seems to have been a large increase in gold panel usage recently. I don't understand any of this materiality. Does anyone have a link to the design statement and know what the budget it for this project?
Al
#4 Posted by Al on 22 Dec 2015 at 18:47 PM
Lipstick on a pig
UR
#5 Posted by UR on 22 Dec 2015 at 19:11 PM
The design statement is viewable here: http://wam.highland.gov.uk/wam/files/4A29509714ACEF29793FD55EDABB431C/pdf/15_04554_FUL-DESIGN___ACCESS_STATEMENT-932580.pdf
CadMonkey
#6 Posted by CadMonkey on 22 Dec 2015 at 20:26 PM
Cripes
"Developed in conjunction with artist..." always implies to me that the architect couldn't dig up a sensible architectural solution so invented some abstract reason to justify the approach, as is evident here.
Stephen
#7 Posted by Stephen on 23 Dec 2015 at 09:39 AM
Turd polishing. My thoughts exactly Sven. And UR's apparently, although not sure it's appropriate journalism to start an article with "The grey lump of Inverness Museum is to be spruced up with a bling new overcoat".
Anyone would think you were Big Chantelle UR.....
The morning after
#8 Posted by The morning after on 23 Dec 2015 at 10:04 AM
Jingle boak..

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