Scottish National Portrait Gallery reopens
National Galleries Scotland (NGS) has reopened the Scottish National Portrait Gallery after completing work on an extensive £17.6m refurbishment of Edinburgh attraction.
The gallery was initially designed by architect Sir Robert Rowand Anderson and was one of the first purpose-built portrait galleries in the world when it opened in 1889.
Work has now been carried out by BAM Construction in a two-year scheme to provide new education facilities, including a multi-purpose teaching suite and a resource centre.
Spaces that had been closed to the public have been opened up, while there has also been an increase in exhibition space as part of the refurbishment programme.
Displays at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery are now based around broad 'Key Areas' and the attraction's programme of education activities has been expanded.
The gallery joins the new Robert Burns Birthplace Museum and revamped National Museum of Scotland as a major attraction to open or benefit from a completed overhaul in 2011.
First Minister Alex Salmond said: "In a matter of one year, we have seen some of our most important treasure houses reinstated as world-leaders in their field.
"The re-opening of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery sees the culmination of two years' work to not only restore this wonderful building but allow visitors to experience much of what architect Sir Robert Rowand Anderson envisaged in his original design."
Image: National Galleries Scotland/Chris Watt
Wellness real estate market booming – forecast to reach $913bn by 2028, reports GWI
UAE’s first Dior Spa debuts in Dubai at Dorchester Collection’s newest hotel, The Lana
Europe's premier Evian Spa unveiled at Hôtel Royal in France
Clinique La Prairie unveils health resort in China after two-year project
GoCo Health Innovation City in Sweden plans to lead the world in delivering wellness and new science
Four Seasons announces luxury wellness resort and residences at Amaala
Aman sister brand Janu debuts in Tokyo with four-floor urban wellness retreat
€38m geothermal spa and leisure centre to revitalise Croatian city of Bjelovar
Two Santani eco-friendly wellness resorts coming to Oman, partnered with Omran Group
Kerzner shows confidence in its Siro wellness hotel concept, revealing plans to open 100
Ritz-Carlton, Portland unveils skyline spa inspired by unfolding petals of a rose
Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners are just one of the names behind The Emory hotel London and Surrenne private members club
Peninsula Hot Springs unveils AUS$11.7m sister site in Australian outback
IWBI creates WELL for residential programme to inspire healthy living environments
Conrad Orlando unveils water-inspired spa oasis amid billion-dollar Evermore Resort complex
Studio A+ realises striking urban hot springs retreat in China's Shanxi Province
Populous reveals plans for major e-sports arena in Saudi Arabia
Wake The Tiger launches new 1,000sq m expansion
Othership CEO envisions its urban bathhouses in every city in North America
Merlin teams up with Hasbro and Lego to create Peppa Pig experiences
SHA Wellness unveils highly-anticipated Mexico outpost
One&Only One Za’abeel opens in Dubai featuring striking design by Nikken Sekkei
Luxury spa hotel, Calcot Manor, creates new Grain Store health club
'World's largest' indoor ski centre by 10 Design slated to open in 2025
Murrayshall Country Estate awarded planning permission for multi-million-pound spa and leisure centre
Aman's Janu hotel by Pelli Clarke & Partners will have 4,000sq m of wellness space
Therme Group confirms Incheon Golden Harbor location for South Korean wellbeing resort
Universal Studios eyes the UK for first European resort
King of Bhutan unveils masterplan for Mindfulness City, designed by BIG, Arup and Cistri
Rural locations are the next frontier for expansion for the health club sector
From parks designed to mitigate the effects of flooding to warming huts for one of the world’s coldest cities, these projects have been designed for increasingly extreme climates