Timespan’s Redevelopment - Timespan

Timespan’s Redevelopment - Timespan Skip to content The weather in Helmsdale: 8°C Overcast clouds We are open everyday 10am-5pm An Ambitious Plan for The Future Final Feasibility Study Report We are thrilled to reveal our feasibility study for a proposed capital redevelopment of Timespan building. We want to extend our gratitude to the incredible architects of ASSEMBLE and Office Corr Higgins, and all members of our communities who joined in the different consultations to share your vision of Timespan. The study sets out a transformative architectural and organisational vision that responds to Timespan’s socially-engaged programme and to the wider challenges faced by cultural institutions in remote and rural areas. It outlines an outward looking museum, drawing on local histories to remain globally engaged, and grounded in justice-oriented practices. The feasibility study establishes the foundations for a redevelopment that strengthens Timespan’s civic role in Helmsdale while equipping the organisation with the spatial, technical and environmental infrastructure required to address urgent cultural, social and environmental questions at local, national and international scales. The summaries below highlight the key themes of the study. Further detail can be found in the full feasibility study. A new model for the rural museum: locally situated, globally engaged The proposed redevelopment positions Timespan as a prototype for small-scale cultural institutions in remote and rural contexts. It supports a programme that connects Helmsdale’s material culture and histories to wider conversations around land, climate justice, digital heritage and participatory practice, while remaining firmly rooted in place. A building shaped by the principles of an Institution of the Commons The feasibility study translates Timespan’s commitment to operating as an Institution of the Commons into spatial form. The proposed layout brings together galleries, museum, archive, library, workshop and social spaces to support shared use, collaboration and everyday civic participation. A circular, bioregional design strategy grounded in climate justice and degrowth The design adopts a circular, bioregional approach that prioritises reuse, low-carbon materials and long-term resilience. By retaining and upgrading existing buildings and creating right-sized, adaptable spaces, the proposal minimises environmental impact while supporting Timespan’s programme. A contextual and creative architectural response The proposals respond to the site’s layered histories and its relationship to the river, village and surrounding landscape. Historic elements are retained and strengthened, while new interventions open the building to daylight and create welcoming public spaces, including a south-facing courtyard. Supporting local skills, materials and opportunities The redevelopment is conceived as a form of community investment, creating opportunities to work with regional craft skills, local materials and training partners. The project supports skills development and long-term capacity within the Highlands. A coherent home for a multi-artform programme The redesigned building provides a flexible and technically capable home for Timespan’s work across contemporary art, heritage, digital research, education and community activity, bringing all strands of the programme together within a single integrated environment. Read more about the feasibility study to explore the proposals, design process and next steps in detail. Discover the Feasibility Study The Current Situation Timespan is currently housed in a former herring curing yard beside the River Helmsdale. The last major renovation took place in 2007, and the site now requires a comprehensive revitalisation to realise its full potential as a cohesive, accessible, and sustainable museum and cultural institution. Choosing an Architect Team Working with RIAS Consultancy , the competitions and procurement arm of the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland, Timespan launched a nationwide competition in September 2024 for a feasibility study. We received 38 expressions of interest from all over the UK, from which five teams were shortlisted: Dualchas Architects, Moxon Architects, Rural Design, Konishi Gaffney Architects, and Assemble and Office Corr Higgins. The shortlisted teams visited the site, engaged with representatives from the local community, and incorporated feedback from various groups, including Timespan staff and volunteers. Assemble and Office Corr Higgins were selected as the winners for their compelling proposal, which aligns closely with Timespan’s ethos of being locally embedded and globally connected while empowering communities and addressing global challenges through culture and creativity. Towards a Feasibility Study The feasibility study was a six-month process that began in early 2025 to shape significant changes across both Timespan’s physical infrastructure and its interpretative narratives, reflecting our community’s evolving needs and the broader impacts of the climate crisis and the legacies of colonialism. The proposed redevelopment of our 600m site includes Timespan’s café, gallery, workshops, storage and museum spaces. The aim is to deliver a cohesive built presence with improved facilities for visitors and staff to achieve Timespan’s vision of becoming an Institution of the Commons: a space serving diverse audiences and fostering collaboration through knowledge exchange, and resource sharing. Aligned to Timespan’s values, Assemble and Office Corr Higgins will deliver an engagement-led and ecologically responsible feasibility study that will prioritise sustainability, accessibility, and community involvement. In their application the team highlighted as their key principles Local materials & sustainability : They will map local material resources, and tradespeople to minimise the environmental impact of the redevelopment Building for the long term : Focusing on local resources will ensure the long-term resilience of the project. Relying on skills and tools available in the area will make the project and its maintenance sustainable in the long term. Community-driven : The team will collaborate with local communities, youth partners, and experts, to define the project’s guiding principles and create a space simultaneously connected to local histories and with a global outlook. Accessibility: Assemble and Office Corr Higgins have demonstrated a thorough understanding of Timespan’s practical necessities to tend to its multi-faceted cultural offerings. They will support the organisational commitment to inclusivity by prioritising the building’s accessibility for current and future audiences, making it navigable and enjoyable for a variety of individuals. Community Consultation It is important to us that the refurbishment reflects our community’s needs and aspirations to make sure the finished building is a space shared by everyone and that we are proud of. Therefore we sought our community’s input every step of the way. Guided by ASSEMBLE and Office Corr Higgins, we hosted multiple consultations during 2025: a first one where people were be able to give their feedback about the current building, and a second where we gathered opinions on the design ideas submitted by ASSEMBLE and Office Corr Higgins. First Consultation In the first community consultation, held over two days at the end of March, architects from Assemble and Office Corr Higgins, Timespan’s staff and local audiences explored the physical features of the building. Through an open discussion and a variety of activities we asked key questions regarding what we want Timespan to offer our local, national and international community. The architects’ report highlighted several themes Local Specificity : people want a building with a distinctive character reflecting local materials and history, which simultaneously celebrates the heritage and the forward-thinking program at Timespan. Both the materials and skills used should reflect local knowledge. Nuts & Bolts : the lighting, insulation, energy system, and furniture should be evaluated and updated to have more working and storage spaces for inside and outside. Contemporary Art Gallery : people want the gallery and the heritage museum to be better connected. Moreover, the gallery should have a better connection to the outside and be visually striking to highlight the unique nature of Helmsdale. Museum & Local Heritage : it should be clear from the outside of the building that Timespan hosts a heritage museum. The museum spaces should have better lighting, layout, and visibility, and the geology garden can be curated better. Creating Connections : people want the entrance of the building to provide a welcoming atmosphere for everyone, a building easy to navigate, and a library and archive accessible to anyone. Access: there should be better facilities to make sure the building is accessible with plenty of comfortable seating, as well as better stairs and an improved lift. Creative Workshop : people want a workshop able to accommodate activities for kids and adults, that feels like a community space and can be used by the Helmsdale community, with improved natural lighting and heating. Artists Residency : there needs to be adequate space for production within the artist’s studio, accommodating a variety of media and scale of art. We are incredibly grateful to anyone who took part in our first community consultation. You can read the full report below. Consultation Report The consultation was also supplemented by online and written surveys, and a creative session especially developed for young people. The architects are now incorporating the community’s feedback in their research process to inform the creation of some preliminary designs. Phase Two – Feedback on the design processes The architects incorporated the feedback gathered, alongside those of our various communities, staff and board, with their technical surveys and expertise to develop some initial design ideas. Second Consultation After a successful first community consultation, the architects from Assemble and Office Corr Higgins came back to Timespan at the beginning of May 2025 to present their initial drawings to the community and to gather people’s feedback about some of the possible design ideas for the building’s redevelopment. The discussions focused on making the current space work better, thinking about materials and making the most of the site. We are still gathering a list of local traditional craft-people to source materials and skills from our communities as much as possible. If you have someone in mind, let us know by filling out the form below or by getting in touch at enquiries@timespan.org.uk Recommend a local craft-people Fundraising & What’s Next The release of the feasibility study marks the first stage in Timespan’s redevelopment journey. It presents a vision for a building that is environmentally responsible, socially purposeful and creatively ambitious: a long-term cultural asset designed to serve Helmsdale and the wider Highlands for decades to come. Timespan will now work with partners, funders and stakeholders to develop the next phase of design, consultation and fundraising. Raising funds for transforming Timespan and implement the changes we collectively developed will likely take several years. We will continue to keep you updated about how the fundraiser progresses and when the building will actually start. Press Museum-iD Redefining the Museum as a Shared Resource Scottish Construction Now ASSEMBLE and Office Corr Higgins publish feasibility study into Highland museum revamp