EDINBURGH.- The National Galleries of Scotland announced today, 1 May 2014, that Gareth Hoskins Architects has been appointed to oversee a major transformational project at the Scottish National Gallery over the next 4 years.

Galleries devoted to the national collection of historic Scottish art will be radically overhauled and significantly expanded whilst greatly improving visitor circulation and facilities at the Scottish National Gallery. The iconic building situated at The Mound in the centre of Edinburgh currently welcomes over a million visitors each year. The development aims to almost double the display space for Scottish art within the Scottish National Gallery designed by William Henry Playfair (1790-1857) and which opened in 1859.

Gareth Hoskins Architects is one of Scotland’s leading architectural practices. With studios in Glasgow and Berlin the practice is involved in a wide range of projects across Scotland and internationally. The practice has established a particular reputation for their design of arts and cultural schemes and the Scottish National Gallery project follows on from recent developments such as the Mareel Concert Hall in Shetland and the RIAS Doolan Award winning redevelopment of the National Museum of Scotland.

Michael Clarke, Director of the Scottish National Gallery said: “The outstanding collection of Scottish Art held at the Scottish National Gallery has an international significance and this transformational project will allow for the creation of new and innovative displays to inspire our growing number of visitors from all over the world. We look forward to working with Gareth Hoskins and his experienced team to deliver this exciting project.”

Gareth Hoskins commented: “We and our wider team are incredibly excited at the opportunity of working with the National Galleries to create new spaces for their fantastic collection of Scottish art as part of the ongoing evolution of one of Edinburgh and Playfair’s most significant groupings of cultural buildings.”