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| PROJECT:
Bona Visitors' Centre |
| LOCATION:
Loch Ness, Scotland |
| CLIENT:
Jacobite Cruises |
| BUDGET:
Undisclosed |
| COMPLETION:
Currently at Stage C |
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A lighthouse marks the headland between the end of Loch Ness and the entrance to the Caledonian Canal. Built by Thomas Telford in 1815, the building is listed by Historic Scotland. The canal is an ancient monument. Loch Ness itself is considered to be an iconic landscape which is part of the image of Scotland. Our client, Jacobite Tours, provide trips up the Loch from Inverness to Urquhart Castle. Our brief is to redevelop the site as a visitor centre and harbour for the company’s boat tours.
The existing lighthouse is to be restored, but its original function as an eye on the landscape is inverted, to act instead as camera obscura, drawing the landscape inside. The existing rear courtyard is covered to provide a sheltered exhibition and retail space.
A floating pontoon structure is to be towed up the canal and moored alongside the existing sunken jetty. The fragile boat-like qualities of the pontoon allows the lighthouse to retain its historic presence in the landscape, whilst providing a suitable quayside for the tour boats. It is unaffected by the two metre seasonal tide fluctuations. The roof of the pontoon is angled to capture the sun and provides shelter for visitors embarking on the boat tours. |
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