Redeveloped Scapa Flow Museum shortlisted for award

Orkney Islands Council’s Scapa Flow Museum has been shortlisted for a national industry award.

The Galvanizers Association Galvanizing Awards (GAGA Construction Awards) is aimed at recognising innovation in the use of hot dip galvanising.

The Museum was put forward for the awards by architects appointed to the project, LDN Architects.

Galvanised steel has been used extensively in the Museum’s extension and restoration, chosen for both its aesthetics and the practical benefits of the material in Orkney’s challenging climate and remote location.

A key benefit was the steel could be fully prepared off-site and delivered ready to install, with its durability and resistance to damage meaning structures could withstand the transport and be swiftly erected and finished in the exposed Orkney marine environment.

It’s the main material used in structural framework and internal ducting in the new extension, which was built to accommodate artefacts in a new, climate controlled space. It’s also been employed where electrics and structures have been renewed in the historic A-listed pumphouse, which once which was once the lifeblood of the Royal Navy base, supplying oil to combat vessels anchored in Scapa flow. Its sleek industrial appearance both complements the historic pumphouse and acts to demark the old from the new.

The GAGAs are open to all within the construction supply chain within the UK and Ireland, from clients, architects, engineers, to contractors and fabricators, as well as artists and craftspeople.

Winners are due to be announced in July.

Find out more by visiting the GAGA awards website.

Scapa Flow Museum is run by Orkney Islands Council and charts Orkney’s military involvement in the First and Second World Wars. Named after the vast natural harbour it overlooks, the Museum provides a safe home for a major collection of wartime artefacts, many of national and international importance.

Its recent refurbishment project valued at of £4.4 million, comprising an extension to the Museum and refurbishment of the historic pumphouse, has been supported by Orkney Islands Council, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Historic Environment Scotland, the Orkney LEADER 2014-2020 programme, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Museums Galleries Scotland and the Scottish Government’s European Regional Development Fund programme, managed by NatureScot through the Natural & Cultural Heritage Fund. (The Natural & Cultural Heritage Fund is part of the Scottish Government’s European Regional Development Fund programme, which finishes in 2023. NatureScot is also managing another element of the programme – the Green Infrastructure Fund. The Scottish Government is the Managing Authority for the European Regional Development Fund and the European Structural Funds 2014-20 Programme. For further information visit the Scottish Government website or follow @scotgovESIF.)