heFront I
Galleries link on target
Playfair underground tunnel to open within fortnight. Words: Ruth Hedges
head of scheoale area a ‘.'.’l‘.5Sr<(}." within its budget. the
Playfair Project :s set to be completed in time for rts royal
opening t h Thursday 5) August. ln:s ambitious S.‘I%()m scheme. .'."Tl(:i". begai‘ two ai‘d 'tal‘ years ago. 'inks the National (BalIOl‘, of Ssotland ‘.‘.'liil the Royal Scott sl‘. cat‘lemy buildiin by an underground tti'ti‘el. Pro;ect manager Scott Robertson likens it to a Crass i'i) ftorne] 'itotorvray bridge. \.i"./hiie he is taikiirg. a iorry
delitering litians for the opening shov.’ and several diggers are
bearing (l(}‘.‘.’l‘. on, the t‘oiiou'red out space.
F t'ty t"ousg n1: tons of eart'i l‘:£l‘.(2 been dug xi! from beneath the
two n‘assiye Grade A iisted holdings. much o‘ yrh ch has beei‘ reoeposited ll‘ l oith Docks for new building works. This iiiatei‘ial origihai came from fine Nev; low". area. sni‘t 3d over during the lTlZiSSI‘.(Z‘ Georgian building pr‘ogi'a'ni‘ite. to create the ar’ti‘icial rise of the M()til‘(l. Ar‘d now it’s not ‘.'.'anted any riiore: surplus to "eduiiemen‘. ~ it's soil yr-th a story.
lne l’layfaii‘ story began ll‘.(2 years ago ‘.'.’il(}l‘. archite :ts \loltr‘ Mi.ler and Partners tne coi‘tract to create two ii'tk. lllO‘, impressed the Nationa' (Earleries with the s2mplicity {ll‘tl functionain of their design. The architects "eaiised it was not about 'naking a bg ego st; tement it's about {tl‘SX'JC'l'llltl a need.’ says Robertson. They are the most technically experienced at galler‘. p . drhg.‘ Hle i‘ave Jideed cornered the Z‘léll‘KC’l suit
recent \'.’()l'K on the National Portrait Gallery and Tate Britain in
l ondon. The lrnking space which you can enter through glass lifts in either building and through the grand concourse from Princes Street (Eardeiis. houses (3(lthéiIlOllé i spaces. a 200 seater lecture theatre. a restaurant. bar area. lots of toHets and a new. all important. swanky snop.
The panorama from behind glass windows frames spectacularly the out‘ook across to the Scott Monument. Waverly Bridge and the Scott Monument. And it is this feature which Sti Rogers from the architecture firm believes that National Galleries director. Timothy Clifford. particulain went for. That and its clarity. ‘Most of our work '5; modernist." she says. 'We needer to make a seamless connection and maintain the sense of massiveness. It's a sympathetic design to the two original buiir‘iings' It's an attitude and phiiosOplty that couldn't be further from that of Catalan designs ,iust over in the Old Town.
the Age of Titian ireviev‘red next issue: grandly opens the protect at the RSA. and if you are \.'.rondering iust how some of the larger vvrorks were instailed. look at the side of the RSA building on the left ifacing towards the National (Salleiyi and you might notice a secret door that's been cut into the side of the wall. They may be fui! of tricks. But remember. it's jtlSi a fancy motonvay bridge at heart. And that's from the project manager.
New ‘elite' Glasgow club
Edinburgh members-only club to try its luck on the west coast. W0
1 rs Sootiai‘d ‘.'.'i'.h Style. after alt: Glasgow is to get its ()‘.'.ll‘ private r'ieinbeis' ciub. The l lallion. ‘.'.’l‘.-(:"l (-Eiyn Partridge and l iaci". Maguire opened iast ,ea' " l dinoti'gh. and ‘.'./l‘,'(:ll operates a ir‘embeishio g;
by- invitation oi‘ policy. is expanding with a new SViim club housed in a
four storey Georgian ff)'.'.'.'li‘.()\tS(E in Bath Street. lhe (Z-tll) ‘.'.’l|l have links I:
to the (,‘rroiicno (3 '..'t: l'T l or‘don. and members .'.r:ll be abie to swan
bet‘.'.'eei‘. the three clubs are cities. never needing to mix ‘.'.’liil the normal
Numbers
All this talk of Toby Maguire and Kirsten Dunst is making us feel a little arachnophobic this fortnight. So here’s a reality check on those scary beasties that are. . .
SPIDERS
Number of times more poisonous a Black Widow spider is than a rattle snake 15
Number of continents that COuld be wiped Out by its poison, if a Black Widow was as large as a human 1
Amount of Brazilian Wandering Spider venom rqued to kill a mouse 0.006mg
Percentage of spiders that Spin webs to gather food 50
Weight of the web constructed by an average European garden spider 0.5mg
The length of a typical garden spider web 25m
Number of species of spider that share a web and the food catight in it 20
Number of months one Steatoda bipunctata Spider is recorded to have survived without either food or water 18
Number of years since spiders evolved 400m
Average number of eyes a Spider has 8
Length of smallest known species, the male Patu digua from Colombia 0.37mm
Length of largest recorded tarantula 24cm
How many times bigger the female Nephila is than it's
nerd of e‘~.rer'yday punters. l’etei Samson. spokesperson for the l laliion. male partner 1000 says there are sub'. (3 fl“i‘.3»’(3l‘.(l(}f3 between the Scottish clubs and the Lifespan of Mexican red-
kneed tarantula 25 years
london or=girral ‘lt's a different concept and it's got different members.’
he says. flat I suppose the (l()ll‘l“f)l‘ ill‘ir< is l);lf'Sti‘li of preasure and
eiiicyiiient and soc a exchange-f
lacilrtes .ii<;l:.<)e a restaurant with me//anihe and retractable roof. Number Of people OflV'C'aHY recorded aS haying died as a
Three lga's. :Lixtii‘y spa treatr‘het‘t roo'ns. conference and business - reSult of a tarantula bite O
facirities. a Japanese style garden and six individuaiiy themed rooms.
l et's hope is more stylish thar‘ the City Council's r'iaiketing campaig'i
4 THE LIST .1. .l. ,2 .‘