Delivery of a state-of-the-art museum and exhibition space

Scapa Flow Museum

The Scapa Flow Museum has been refurbished and extended, from a historic listed World War plant facility with limited public viewing, it has been transformed into a state-of-the-art museum and exhibition space. This ambitious undertaking aimed to modernise the facility while honouring its historical significance, ensuring that it serves as an engaging and educational hub for visitors.

We were appointed by Orkney Islands Council on the extension and refurbishment at the Scapa Flow Museum, including two listed buildings. Pick Everard was chosen to provide building services engineering, civil, and structural design services to achieve this vision.

The £4.4m project encompassed a new extension for the visitor centre, featuring a new entrance, café, welfare facilities, and an exhibition gallery. Additionally, it involved refurbishing existing listed structures, including the pump house and surrounding areas, to enhance the visitor experience while preserving historical integrity.

The scheme faced significant building deterioration challenges, resulting in a progressively unsuitable environment for displaying fragile artefacts. The team improved drainage around the building, undertook roof works, and installed new windows to enhance the structural integrity and environmental conditions, safeguarding the artefacts and ensuring the building's longevity.

These upgrades were crucial in creating a stable environment for the boilers and pumps. To protect the movable fragile exhibits from deteriorating conditions, they were relocated to the new exhibition gallery providing a more controlled environment.

The Museum’s building services were installed to adhere to strict museum standards. The project faced a unique challenge with the deterioration of two external chimneys, essential to the building's historical character. One chimney was restored using original materials, while the other was replaced with a replica. This work required intricate engineering, supported by historical photographs and limited existing records.