Birmingham City Council has been awarded a grant of £4,998,820 by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sports, delivered by Arts Council England. The grant will be utilised to address specific works as part of a wider electrical upgrade and refurbishment of the flagship Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery.
Works will include repairs to the fabric of the building, upgrading of the heating, improving physical access and protecting collections in transit with the replacement of lifts. Professional services consultancy, Acivico Limited, will be providing project management, quantity surveying, principal designer, clerk of works and lift engineering services to the contract. The contract commences onsite in January 2023 and preparation to get the site ready will start before the end of 2022 by Birmingham Museums Trust.
The contract follows on from the £32.5m Council House refurbishment project, where Acivico is currently offering multi-disciplinary services including project management, quantity surveying, principal designer and clerk of works services and is being delivered through the Constructing West Midlands framework. The project is due to complete in the summer of 2022.
Cllr Jayne Francis, Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Culture, said: “It is of paramount importance that we do everything we can to protect our historical buildings as well as the cultural works contained therein. There’s a great deal of work going on at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery but it will be worth the investment so that everyone can enjoy this gorgeous building in all its glory and ensure preservation for the future.”
Sara Wajid and Zak Mensah, co-CEOs of Birmingham Museums Trust, commented: “We are passionate about caring for our collections and stories. Our buildings are as much a part of the experience as any object, and this fund will provide a much-welcomed opportunity to address some longstanding concerns at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, which will ultimately improve the visitor experience and safeguard the collection for generations to come.”
Darren Henley, Chief Executive, Arts Council England, said: “Our artists, arts organisations, museums and libraries are experts in making villages, towns and cities better places to live, work, visit or play. This investment means they’ll be able to help more people across England to lead happier, more creative lives.”
