BAM entrusted to bring Perth City Hall back to life

BAM Construction has been appointed by hub East Central Scotland to redevelop Perth City Hall.The building, which closed its doors to the public in 2005 and whose future was until recently the subject of much speculation, is to be converted by Perth & Kinross Council into a world-class visual arts visitor experience after much consultation.The restoration takes on increased significance given Perth’s bid to become UK City of Culture 2021.Built in 1914 and located on King Edward Street in the heart of the city, the Grade B listed building, originally designed by Glasgow architect HE Clifford and Lunan, is an iconic landmark featuring an ornate façade with a 3-bay coupled Roman portico, arched decorative doorways and striking cornicing.The reimagined building will create a new 1,500m² flexible exhibition hall that can accommodate displays of differing content and scale. It will not only be a home to permanent collections of local archaeology and social history, but will also be able to host touring exhibitions. The wider plans include a 150m² learning suite, 250m² collections handling area and up to 275m² of commercial visitor facilities including a café and retail area.Five architects have been shortlisted for the project following an RIAS-led design competition and include Austin-Smith: Lord, Hoskins Architects, LDN, Mecanoo and Richard Murphy Architects.BAM Construction has specialist experience in working on heritage and cultural projects and is currently building the new V & A Museum of Design in Dundee. Other cultural projects include the Dunfermline Carnegie Library & Galleries, the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh and the Kelvingrove and Riverside Museums in Glasgow.