Environmental Message Surrounds Shetland Museum And Archives
Recycling and waste minimisation is at the heart of the new Shetland Museum and Archives.
Based in Lerwick and managed by the Shetland Amenity Trust, which is itself committed to environmentally friendly measures, many recycled and salvaged materials have been incorporated into various aspects of the project including the building itself, the exhibition areas and the overall regeneration of the site at Hays Dock.
It was while restoration of Hays Dock was taking place that substantial timbers were recovered from two large 19th century German boats – the Elenore Von Flotow and the Pribislaw. Part of the keel of the Elenore Von Flotow has now been re-fashioned into an impressive foyer desk for the Museum and Archives. In keeping with the Shetland Amenity Trust’s environmental policy of salvaging and recycling, a money-raising initiative by an Australian heritage society saw some of the remains of the Pribislaw, which was used in the mid 19th century to transport German immigrants to Australia, shipped over to Melbourne where they will go on display in a local museum.
The restoration of Hays’ Dock also saw a requirement for a substantial amount of wrought iron, a scarce commodity. The Amenity Trust and local Blacksmith Bruce Wilcock managed to recover all the wrought iron required, including chains from Hay’s dock and old anchors. This has been used for much of the external ironmongery, including door handles and hinges, mooring rings and handrails.
Throughout the project, care has been taken to use as many recycled materials as possible. This is especially evident in the flooring used throughout the building. Reclaimed oak and pitch pine flooring can be found in all three galleries and Hay’s Dock Café restaurant. Some of the oak has also been used in the display cases. Recycled flag stones, collected from the length and breadth of Shetland, have also been laid in the foyer, where the differences in colour, texture and size show the diversity of this stone throughout Shetland.
The most innovative recycled flooring used in the building, however, is the pavers produced by the Amenity Trust’s Enviroglass. Here a patented process is used to recycle glass bottles into a hard wearing attractive surface. Some of these pavers, which appear both inside and outside the building, have been inlaid with crushed serpentine which local artist Alan Hart has used to depict local boat parts and place names.
Lighting on the exterior of the building was carefully considered with local astronomer, Chris Brown, being consulted at the initial design stage. Lighting is provided by low level lights and lamps which project the light down not up towards the sky. This limits the amount of light pollution on the sky.
Heating for the building has been supplied by the District Heating Scheme, meaning that the building is heated in a very cost effective and environmentally friendly way, mostly through under floor heating.
Stone for the main building was recycled from demolished buildings from various areas in Shetland, in particular the North Ness and Quendale, and the Dock Walkway is made up of recycled granite setts or cobbles, which were previously laid on the Lerwick Promenade, until they were lifted and replaced with tarmac in the 1960’s. Furthermore, even the stonework in the early people displays has come from the Amenity Trust’s archaeological excavations at Old Scatness Broch, another particularly apt example of recycling in practice.
In restoring the Pier Store to its original state the Amenity Trust had to source original Bressay stone slates to roof the building from various local areas around the islands.
Jimmy Moncrieff, General Manager at the Shetland Amenity Trust said: “Shetland Amenity Trust is committed to conserving the environment and celebrating heritage. The Shetland Museum and Archives project is the living embodiment of our rich cultural and natural heritage and is an invaluable resource for the public, now and into the future. By using recycled materials throughout the building and in various aspects of the project, we are demonstrating our commitment to the environment in a tangible way.”