Interiors work starts on Scottish National Portrait Gallery

Scottish design consultancies Studio Arc and Graven Images are working on the interior design elements of the £17.5m revamp of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery (pictured).

Architect Page Park, led by Brian Park and David Page, is leading the project to extend the gallery’s mezzanine ground level to allow additional space for visitor facilities, including a new education suite, a community gallery, art studios and a seminar room. ‘It’s about taking the existing buildings as a precedent, and how we insert new elements,’ explains Page Park project architect Justin Fenton. Preserving the integrity of the original design by Sir Robert Rowand Anderson will be paramount, he says.

Studio Arc has been briefed to handle design interpretation, while Graven Images has been tasked with creating front-of-house facilities comprising a reception area, café and retail area. ‘There are a lot of things to consider under these briefs, but it’s more functional than aspirational,’ says a Graven Images spokeswoman.

Completion of the project is expected around autumn 2011.