John Hastie Museum
Refurbishment of a former community hall and library into a museum space
John Hastie Museum | South Lanarkshire
John Hastie Museum Trust
INCH were appointed by The Strathaven John Hastie Museum Trust to establish the feasibility of renovating the disused Ballgreen Community Hall and Library building into a new home for the museum’s collection. The collection tells the story of the local area, charting the history of the South Lanarkshire town.
Following the closure of the previous museum in 2011 the trust has hosted pop-up exhibitions with no permanent home. The Ballgreen hall would offer the trust the opportunity to establish a permanent public exhibition. The proposal for the museum included a new mezzanine level to be introduced down one side of the hall with two community rooms, one a workshop and the other a flexible space, inserted below. Existing high level glazing is proposed to be retained and utilised to bring natural light into all the main public spaces.
Alongside the museum, the former library and lesser hall are to be converted into residential apartments. A demand was established locally for smaller units to rent to encourage younger people to stay within the village. Six, one and two bedroom flats are proposed with associated car parking provided.
The external of the building is proposed to be re-clad to improve thermal performance and improve its visual appearance. Large picture windows are to be introduced in the main elevation to help the museum engage with the street and increase public visibility. INCH, alongside Community Enterprise and Brown and Wallace, worked closely with The Strathaven John Hastie Museum Trust to establish the proposals, ensuring the building will meet the community’s requirements.
