Riverside Museum is transformational

The Riverside Museum opens on 21st June, as Glasgow's newest museum and a symbol of regeneration on the River Clyde. The Riverside Museum has been completed on time and on budget and is expected to create a tourist hotspot this summer.

Zaha Hadid

The architect of this world-class building, Zaha Hadid comments: "Through architecture, we can investigate future possibilities yet also explore the cultural foundations that have defined the city. The Riverside Museum is a fantastic and truly unique project where the exhibits and building come together at this prominent and historic location on the Clyde to enthuse and inspire all visitors. The design, combining geometric complexity with structural ingenuity and material authenticity, continues Glasgow's rich engineering traditions and will be a part of the city's future as a centre of innovation."

World class collection

Glasgow Museums' transport and technology collection is one of the best in the world, with more than 21,000 objects dating from about 1700 to the present day.  The collection includes an unrivalled Scottish car collection, a comprehensive collection of Scottish-built locomotives, a small group of buses noted for their innovative designs and a wide variety of horse-drawn vehicles. It has the second largest fire-engine collection in the country, a Spitfire, caravans, subway vehicles and a station, some very rare commercial vehicles and a collection of cycles that includes the oldest bicycle in the world. Also included are collections of prams, disability transport, Riverside Museum's impressive displays of cars and ship models are sure to delight visitors. The ship model collection is unsurpassed anywhere in the world, and represents the revolutionary changes in shipbuilding technology that took place on the Clyde.

Award winning construction

The construction of the Riverside Museum has been achieved on time and on budget by BAM - a testament to the contractor's management. Construction brought work to around 3,000 people, creating tens of millions of pounds in local contracts. In May, BAM's approach won the Riverside project a bronze medal in the national Considerate Constructors Award for it considerate management, and it won excellent scores for its environmental impact such as recycling of timber and waste

A catalyst for regeneration

With the Tall Ship Glenlee moored alongside, Riverside Museum's location will be a magnet for tourists and is expected to act as a catalyst for further local development nearby.

Mark Barton, Marketing Manager at Clyde Waterfront Strategic Partnership says,
"Despite the Clyde's hugely impressive transformation over recent years, many Scots and tourists have never visited this world famous river, even when in Glasgow. Fantastic new leisure venues like the £74m Riverside Museum and the 12,500 seat Scottish Hydro Arena which is close by and will open in 2013, will act as flagships for further regeneration, attracting millions of new visitors.

"The Clyde Waterfront website attracted an all time record of 20,000 visits last month, many of whom were foreign, with the Riverside Museum being easily the most popular search term. So in a sense, the new museum is already making an important contribution to regeneration in the area!"

Alan McAteer of McAteer Photograph, has been documenting the Clyde's regeneration since 2005 and has followed the construction of the Riverside Museum since it started 3 years ago. Alan says, "I find the Riverside Museum to be a stunningly attractive building from whichever angle you look.  It's a dream to photograph as its open aspect makes for great shots at any time of the day and the architecture offers itself up for some very dramatic views.  It's already an iconic building in the Clyde Waterfront landscape and the city's skyline and one that's sure to be photographed again and again." See Riverside Museum images here.

Getting there

This is being billed as one of the most accessible museums in the world. Arrive by foot, bike, skateboard, car, bus, train, subway, ferry, helicopter and even seaplane! Find more information about getting to the Riverside Museum.

Entry to the Riverside Museum is free but you will have to pay to visit the Tall Ship Glenlee.

Opening on 21st June

With just days to go until launch, the Riverside Museum is a hot topic right now, with coverage in local, national and international press.