SCOTTISH NATIONAL GALLERY
2024
Client: National Galleries of Scotland – Scottish National Gallery
Overview: A renowned art institution showcasing international and Scottish art from 1300 to 1945, housed in a historic building with complex architectural features and hidden structures.
Objective: Update outdated paper plans with digital data to better understand the building’s layout, including historic tunnels, and support future development projects.
The Challenge
- Existing plans were based on historical paper archives with limited accuracy and detail, particularly there was nothing georeferenced.
- The gallery knew of a series of uncharted tunnels within the building which needed to be mapped, but they didn’t know the full extent of their existence, as they had nothing showing a full blueprint of the sub-floor.
- However, manual scanning was ruled out due to the presence of asbestos within the tunnels.
- Preservation of the gallery’s priceless artworks and architecture required a highly sensitive and non-invasive surveying approach.
- Working within the gallery visiting open hours.
The Solution
- Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) Survey
- Utilised to map subsurface features, including tunnels, without direct contact.
- Ensured a safe 0.5m buffer zone around walls, paintings, and sculptures to prevent touching or accidental damage.
- Proposed and scoped to safely navigate hazardous areas like asbestos-filled tunnels using unmanned drone capture technology as a possible solution.
- Identified Laser scanning as the next step to digitally capture the entire gallery layout for enhanced curatorial flexibility for artwork placement and exhibitions and possible virtual gallery tours, increasing accessibility to global audiences.
The Outcome
A comprehensive digital record of the gallery’s underground features was created, significantly improving their understanding of the building’s structure.
The groundwork laid by GPR gives the Gallery an excellent starting point to develop a scope for possible future use of the tunnels.
The success of this project underlines the importance of advanced, non-invasive surveying technologies in preserving and enhancing historic cultural spaces. By employing Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), the Scottish National Gallery now has a robust digital record of its underground structures, resolving uncertainties about the extent and layout of uncharted tunnels.
This job empowered the Gallery to move forward with development plans whilst safeguarding its rich heritage.
Digital mapping tools like laser scanning offer huge transformative potential for National Galleries Scotland, for curatorial planning, audience engagement, and accessibility, enabling the Gallery to balance tradition with innovation and create a more connected, immersive future for visitors. Find out more about our GPR services here.
Postscript: Spotlight on the Art: featured in the images
Large painting visible in the left of image 1 – Porthenys by Scottish Artist Lynsey MacKenzie
Created during the Scotland X Cornwall Exchange residency in Newlyn, Cornwall (which is coincidentally the home of the OS mean sea level). Exhibited at the Visual Arts Scotland centenary exhibition, Then and Now, at the Royal Scottish Academy. The exhibition celebrates a century of Scottish artistic heritage and contemporary talent.
Largest painting in gold frame visible in the timelapse video – The Storm by William McTaggart.
Oil on canvas painted in 1890, this dramatic scene captures a thunderous sky, lashing wind, and a turbulent sea. Presented to the Scottish National Gallery by Mrs. Andrew Carnegie in 1935. Read more about these artworks on the gallery website here. National Galleries
