The Glasgow Museum Resource Centre (GMRC) is set to receive a £1.9 million investment aimed at enhancing its energy efficiency.
The GMRC serves as the storage facility for the city’s museum collections when they are not displayed at various venues.
Glasgow Life, the organization managing the city’s cultural attractions, was awarded a £1.5 million grant through Scotland’s Public Sector Heat Decarbonisation Fund. This fund supports public buildings in adopting environmentally sustainable solutions.
The allocated funds will be used for significant upgrades to boost energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions at the facility, which houses millions of valuable objects from the city’s collections.
The upgrade works are scheduled to start this month and are expected to be completed by the end of the year, according to the management.
The planned improvements include replacing gas boilers with air source heat pumps, installing solar panels, replacing windows, upgrading the electrical supply and building management controls, and performing repairs to minimize heat loss.
Isabel Brown, Glasgow Life Head of Infrastructure Support, said: “The improvements at Glasgow Museums Resource Centre will make a huge difference; we estimate they will enable annual savings of around 156 tonnes of CO2.
“This important project reflects Glasgow Life’s environmental sustainability strategy and ongoing commitment to achieve net zero goals.
“During 2023/24, across our property estate we invested £1.8 million in a wide range of energy-related projects, including the installation of more efficient heating and lighting technologies at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, and Glasgow City Halls.
“And throughout 2024/25 we continue to drive forward our energy-efficiency programme, through multiple projects, with a £3.8m investment in sustainability solutions.”
As part of its commitment to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045, the Scottish Government allocated £20 million in grant funding for the 2024/25 financial year through Scotland’s Public Sector Heat Decarbonisation Fund.
The GMRC grant is one of over a dozen awarded through this scheme to projects that will replace heating systems with zero direct emissions solutions and incorporate additional measures to improve energy efficiency.
In addition to the £1,521,543 grant, Glasgow City Council is contributing capital funds to bring the total investment to £1.9 million.
The funding is being administered by Salix Finance, which supports councils, schools, leisure trusts, and universities across the UK on behalf of the Scottish Government.
Chris Cain, Salix Programme Coordinator, said: “Scotland’s Public Sector Heat Decarbonisation Fund plays an important role in enabling public sector organisations to transform and decarbonise the buildings that make up their estate.
“Glasgow Life has utilised Salix’s loan funding in the past to achieve significant energy savings and the Glasgow Museums Resource Centre project will only accelerate the organisation’s path to net zero.
“The project showcases the important role of grant funding in unlocking projects across the country that reduce emissions and lower energy consumption while also cutting energy bills to deliver tangible benefits for communities.”
The extensive purpose-built storage facility and visitor centre in Glasgow’s South Side houses around 1.4 million objects from Glasgow City’s Collections. Managed and cared for by Glasgow Life Museums, the facility offers free tours and educational talks. The massive building comprises 17 environmentally controlled ‘pods’ filled with artefacts ranging from fossils to fine art. With only 2% of the Collections displayed at the city’s museums at any given time, the majority of objects are stored at the Glasgow Museums Resource Centre.
CBRE Global Workplace Solutions (GWS), facilities management and project management advisors, are overseeing the project to improve GMRC’s energy efficiency.
Oliver Metcalfe, Managing Director, said: “The Glasgow Museums Resource Centre is a unique property asset as it accommodates one of Europe’s most important museum collections, so we are delighted to be supporting Glasgow Life’s estates team on this innovative energy efficiency upgrading project, from concept through to implementation.
“This project will play an important part in contributing significantly to the net zero goals of both the facility and the organisation’s portfolio of estates across the city.”
GMRC houses 1.4 million objects in Glasgow City’s Collections (Image: Glasgow Life)
“As reported by Yahoo.com“
