In the Scottish city of Perth, Dutch studio Mecanoo has given its former city hall a new lease of life as a museum that hosts the Stone of Destiny.
Previously playing host to The Who, Morrissey and Margaret Thatcher, Perth City Hall – or as it is now known, Perth Museum – has a new esteemed guest: The Stone of Destiny.
For those who can remember, the stone was dramatically returned to Scotland in 1996 after it had been stolen by English King Edward I in the invasion of 1296. (A video of its ceremonial return within a Pope-mobile-esque Land Rover can be seen here).
The Stone of Destiny takes centre stage at the new museum, ensconced in an oak timber box that resides in the building’s former auditorium. Within the ground level of this box, which reaches two storeys high, visitors enter a dark antechamber of sorts where a video tells audiences the story of this sacred stone. Beyond this room, through automatic doors, is the stone itself. And while viewers can take it in it, an animation highlighting the stone’s history is projected onto the room’s walls.
Mecanoo worked with London-based exhibition designers Metaphor to elevate the experience of being in the presence of the stone.
The stone itself is indeed not much to look at. But thankfully Mecanoo has provided visual delight with its gentle interventions and additions to building and bring it to life as a museum.
Wings flanking either side of the oak-clad box contain objects for Unicorn, a temporary exhibition which looks at the symbolism of the national animal of Scotland, as well further artefacts from the Perth Museum’s collection – objects and curiosities once housed in the museum’s former location a five-minute walk north within the Perth Museum and Art Gallery. These functions have now split, with the more northerly location now just being a dedicated art museum.
In doing so, the new museum has greater license to exhibit and give prominence to objects such as ‘Miss Ballantine’s Salmon’ – the largest salmon ever caught with a fishing rod, a feat achieved in 1922 by a Miss Georgina Ballantine. (The achievement is likely to not be beaten with salmon sizes decreasing over time). Another item, the Carpow Logboat stands out, being exhibited in the vicinity of the Stone of Destiny’s timber shroud, but outside of the wings. The nine-metre-long logboat, made from a single tree trunk, is estimated to be around 3,000 years old and is a rare remnant of the Bronze age, discovered in 2001 off the banks of the River Tay which flows through the city.
While the stone is the museum’s focal point, Mecanoo’s perhaps more signification spatial alterations concern the museum’s connection to the city of Perth. Two new entrances have been created on either side of the museum to facilitate improved accessibility, eschewing the original staired entrance. The new entrances, accentuated by bronze casing, connect to create a corridor – or ‘vennel’ (a Scottish narrow street) – through the building, meaning there is now easy, step-free access to (free to enter) museum from the square.
“When first seeing the building, we saw it as introverted, disconnected to public space,” Mitchel Ovens, an architect at Mecanoo told AT while giving a tour of the building. “We thought, ‘how can we give this building back to the people of Perth?’”
Inside, the vennel bisects the two former auditoriums, helping to act as an acoustic barrier between the café and primary exhibition hall.
The aim, said Ovens, was draw people around the building, which was originally designed by Henry Edward Clifford and Thomas Melville Lunan and built in 1914. Ovens likened the studio’s approach to a “chirurg” – the Dutch word for ‘surgeon’ – in describing the incisions made to the former city hall. “You have got to be clever and sensitive – but in a powerful way.”
Another major architectural move was to extend a row of tall windows down the ground, creating in turn a new row of doors and also letting more light in. This is most noticeable in a new café, a space which occupies another, smaller former auditorium. Graced with high ceilings which proudly show restored plasterwork mouldings, the café area can easily be repurposed to host events, while its light material palette creates a warm and welcoming space to work and take a break.
“In the heart of Perth, the completion of the Perth Museum renovation and transformation project stands as a testament to the remarkable synergy of preservation and reinvention, Francine Houben, founding partner and creative director at Mecanoo said in a statement. “Mecanoo has infused fresh life into this historic landmark. With a design that unfolds as a captivating narrative of Perth’s rich history, the new museum proudly safeguards the city’s heritage, inviting everyone to embark on an inspirational journey. Once again, this iconic institution is reborn as a vibrant hub of culture and community”.
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