Meet Scotland's best new building: The Burrell Collection wins Doolan 2024

The Doolan 2024 award has been announced, crowning The Burrell Collection in Glasgow as the finest new building in Scotland. The accolade, presented by the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS), celebrates the institution's recent and comprehensive refurbishment by John McAslan + Partners, which aimed at future-proofing and making sure more of its collection can be on show for visitors.

Doolan 2024 award winner: The Burrell Collection, Glasgow

The Burrell Collection is a late 20th-century building, originally designed by Barry Gasson, John Meunier and Brit Andresen. Having opened its doors in 1983, the complex is now Grade A-listed but was in need of an update to bring its fabric and operation into the 21st century. The recent works focused on environmental performance and ensuring there are ways to have more of its permanent collection on display for visitors.

It 'rejuvenated an old friend', the Doolan Award judges wrote in their citation. They continued adding that John McAslan + Partners’ refurbishment of the Burrell Collection 'makes a bold declaration about the role of architecture – a renewed confidence and belief in it – at a time when Glasgow and Scotland’s creative and cultural industries are in peril'.

John McAslan, founder of his namesake practice, said of the win: 'When we first became engaged on the Burrell in 2012, the building and its magnificent collections were at risk, visitor numbers had dramatically dropped over the years, and there was no funding on the horizon to repair this wonderful but forlorn cornucopia of art.'

'However, within the next decade, we were part of the team that had saved the building, transformed it into an exemplar of ecological renovation, engaged over 15,000 members of the local community in its renewal, and helped encourage 1.5 million visitors to visit this beloved treasure trove of 9,000 cultural artefacts spanning 6,000 years of civilisation. For us all at John McAslan + Partners, projects don’t come more worthwhile than this and we are honoured to receive the RIAS Doolan Award that plays such an important role in celebrating the transformative power of architecture in society at large.'

rias.org.uk