Museum of Scotland
| Client: | Trustees of the Museum of Scotland | |
| Architect: | Benson & Forsyth | |
| Contractor: | Bovis Construction (Scotland) Ltd | |
| Drylining Contractor: | Ultimate Finishing Systems Ltd | |
| Plastering Contractor: | T.H. Dornan & Sons |
Knauf Plasters have been used throughout the stunning interior of the Museum of Scotland, the widely acclaimed addition to Edinburgh's rich architectural heritage, that stands next to the capital's existing Museum in Chambers Street and overlooked by the city's historic castle.
Two of Knauf's comprehensive range of plasters were chosen by the architects Benson + Forsyth, who wanted to achieve a consistent clean white finish throughout the museum's interior. Knauf Universal Board Finish was used to skim over plasterboard, while Knauf GoldBand one-coat plaster was applied to solid backgrounds.
Heralded alike by architects, critics and everyday visitors, the Museum of Scotland has made an outstanding contribution to Scottish architecture of the 20th century. Both exterior and interior are stunning to behold and combine a visionary grandness of scale with an intricacy of detail. The result is a building more than worthy of the right to house a rich treasure of artefacts that plots the nation's natural, social and technological history.
The interior ranges from the massive and impressive orientation area, where staircases appear to rise and fall from level to level in an almost Escher-like way, to hidden corners and minuscule windows no bigger than 50mm across. It echoes the scale of the exhibits that range from the monumental industrial steam pumping engine to the smallest coin and miniature jewellery.
Throughout the building texture and light are used to enrich the spatial effects and bright white walls provide a consistent background to the intricacies of both its structure and the exhibits. A total of 20,000m² of the interior walls have been finished with Knauf Plaster, including those of the vast orientation area which rises the full height of the building.
The bright white matt plaster has been left unpainted and unfinished to lend a spectacular air of simplicity and cleanliness. The plasterers' strokes are clearly visible and across every wall the movement and sweep of their handiwork runs in the same direction.
The plasterwork has been praised by architects and contractors alike for its exceptionally smooth and bright, white finish. Indeed, the museum's walls will not see a touch of paint.
In keeping with the building's modern simplicity and low maintenance, Knauf GoldBand one-coat plaster was hand applied to walls by render by plastering contractor T.H. Dornan & Sons of London, while Knauf Universal Board Finish was used by Ultimate Finishing Systems of Bristol on the skimwork.
Unlikely to be matched in style or scale for many years to come, the Museum of Scotland has already attracted a wealth of photographers and art students among the many visitors through its doors. Knauf Plasters have helped to ensure that many admire the building at least as much as the outstanding national collection it was built to house.