Loch Lomond National Park Headquarters
Leading the way in sustainable development
About
Lintrathen, Scotland
2008
- Features
Huge solid green Douglas fir timbers measuring 600mm x 650mm x 6.5m
- Architect
Page\Park Architects
- Awards
Civic Trust Awards 2010 - Commendation. Roses Design Awards 2009 – Silver Award, Engineering Design Category. Carbon Trust, Low Carbon Building Award 2009. British Council for Offices Award 2009. RIBA GAI Sustainability Award 2009
Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park HQ ‘Carrochan’ has a strong focus on using natural materials throughout, and is the largest green timber frame building in the UK, crafted from 160m³ of locally sourced timber. The building contains some of the biggest green timbers ever used in timber frame construction.
Carrochan was designed around working communities rather than a traditional office block and the build has a carbon footprint of less than half of a conventional building. The fleeces of over 2500 sheep were used to insulate the building which is heated by a combination of biomass and solar gain. A timber frame structure, of locally sourced, sustainable materials fitted in perfectly with the design and ethos of the headquarters, setting a new standard for sustainable development.
While superficially, Carrochan is a beautifully simple structure, the cleanliness of its lines belies the technology beneath. The primary structural frame of Douglas fir and glulam, with external timbers in oak, combines post and beam construction with a cutting-edge pre-fabricated floor and roof panels and site built skin.
