Archaeolink Visitor Centre
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David Churchill (website) Download Original
Visitor centre built into the ground in the Aberdeenshire countryside consisting of exhibition space, theatre, education centre, shop and restaurant
Working with the Archaeolink Trust Edward Cullinan Architects designed a visitor centre to house an exhibition relating to the story of the region's rich archaeological history, while also providing a starting point for visits to the site.
The building has a grass roof rising as a conical hill over the exhibition galleries providing a platform from which to view local sites. The land is "folded" to form a sunken courtyard and entrance, with glass walls providing light and views to the restaurant and shop within.
The building was designed to need no heating in winter by trapping ground heat to achieve a steady state, much as in a cave.
Data
- Begun: May 1996
- Completed: Jul 1997
- Floor area: 11,502m2
- Sector: Arts and culture
- Total cost: £2.5M
- Procurement: JCT80 + amendments (Scottish) private without quantities
- Address: Archaeolink Prehistory Park, Aberdeenshire, AB52 6QP, United Kingdom
Professional Team
- Architect: Cullinan Studio
- Project architects: Annalie Riches, John Cadell, Roddy Langmuir, Ted Cullinan
- Client: The Archaeolink Trust
- Exhibition designer: Event Communications
- Quantity surveyor: John Blyth
- Structural engineer: W A Fairhurst & Partners
- Services engineer: Fulcrum Engineering partnership
- Main contractor: John H Connon
- Main contractor: Balfour Beatty
- Landscape architect: Turnbull Jeffrey Partnership
Suppliers
- Curtain walling: Segur
- Bridge and balustrade steelwork: Charles Henshaw and sons
- Waterproofing installer: Highview services
- Waterproofing manufacturer: RIW
- Landscape architect: ACCO
- Cubicle partitions: Amwell Laminates