National Museums of Scotland has appointed London and New York-based Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA) to design 16 new galleries for the Royal Museum in Edinburgh.

The new galleries are part of a £44.5m project to redevelop the museum between 2007-2011.

Earlier this year the museum received a £1m development grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and it is now working on the stage 2 submission to secure the further £15.8m grant earmarked for the project by the HLF.

A spokesperson for the museum said of the project: “Displays have become dated. There is restricted access to the building, and it is difficult for visitors to find their way around.

“Valuable exhibition space is given over to storerooms and few people see more than a fraction of the collections. The learning facilities are basic, and there is limited accommodation for schools. We are unable to provide all our visitors with modern standards of care and service.

“We have developed a long-term masterplan to address these issues, and the beginning of that work is underway in the Museum now. But the real transformation has yet to come with the major development project for 2007-2011 which will reinvent the Royal Museum for the twenty-first century.”

When the revamp is complete, the museum will boast new exhibitions showcasing the natural world and world cultures, new discovery zones, a new learning centre, a balcony café and new social spaces.

The 16 new galleries to be designed by RAA will create 7,000sq m (75,000sq ft) of new space allowing the display of twice the number of objects that the museum currently has on show.

“This is a unique moment in the history of the Royal Museum, at a very exciting time in the development of modern Scotland – a chance to look afresh at the nation’s international collections, explore how they were brought together by pioneering Scots, and reinterpret them for the audiences of today and tomorrow,” said Ralph Appelbaum.

Architects Gareth Hoskins will be leading the redevelopment team. www.nms.ac.uk