Virtual reality tour to reveal future look of city hall.

Virtual reality headsets will show how landmark Perth building could look

State-of-the-art virtual reality headsets will allow Perth residents to view the likely future of the city hall. People will have the opportunity to use the modern technology at a public engagement event taking place on August 11 in a marquee located near the historic B-listed building. Residents can also provide feedback to the design team behind the ambitious revamp after they have viewed the graphics. Perth and Kinross Council are hosting the event to coincide with a medieval fair taking place in Perth the same day. A council spokesperson said: “The public engagement event is not officially associated with the medieval fair, but with all the other events going on in the city centre that day, the city hall team want to take advantage of the footfall and get feedback from as many people as possible.” This event follows a public exhibition which took place in the civic hall of Perth and Kinross Council’s headquarters in Perth in May. Graphics were displayed, showing the planned transformation of the building into a major arts hub. The move will see the empty city hall

The city hall team want to get feedback from as many people as possible

turned into a multi-million visitor attraction, with ambitions to have the Stone of Destiny the main focal point. Engineers have been working at the site for several weeks with plans in place to remove the building’s floor. In addition, CCTV cameras have been installed around the city hall to increase security at the site while the work takes place. It has been suggested the renovated hall could attract an extra 272,000 visitors to Perth city centre. Dutch-based architects Mecanoo are behind the approved designs and members of their team will be on hand on August 11. Their latest graphics show a goldcoloured entrance door on the north side of the revamped building, along with another graphic providing a glimpse of how the inside may look. The council has stated it will plough £20 million into an upgrade of Perth city centre, including the city hall’s transformation. The building became vacant in 2005, with the local authority initially suggesting a civic square could be the desired solution for its use. However, the council later decided to remarket it and agreed to end lease negotiations. Council chiefs then provided details of five shortlisted architectural firms who took part in a competition to redesign the building. Mecanoo were chosen as the preferred architects. The city hall public engagement event will take place from noon until 7pm on August 11 with the medieval fair also taking place during this period. The fair will feature a medieval re-enactment, puppets and storytellers.

Graphics show how the inside may look, and below, a gold-coloured entrance door on the north side.