jmarchitects are delighted to be reappointed to Calanais Visitor Centre!

Following a public tender process, jmarchitects are delighted to announce our design team have been re-selected to progress the next stages of the development of the Calanais Visitor Centre!

Since 2014, jmarchitects have been working with Urras nan Tursachan to develop a holistic vision for the entire site including an extension to the exiting Calanais Visitor Centre. The expansion of the existing Visitor Centre includes increasing retail and cafe provision, interpretation, along with landscaping works.

Through an iterative design process and working closely with the trust and community, the proposals develop a vernacular language seeking to honour the local indigenous architecture. Utilising a robust yet dignified palette of materials to create spatial variety and character befitting to a visitor centre and appropriate for the island landscape.

We are delighted to continue our work with Urras nan Tursachan to deliver the project, see it through technical design to completion and ultimately realise a project that is worthy of the status of the Calanais Standing Stones and the surrounding ritual landscape.

“jmarchitects have been working on the project for a number of years supporting the community and the Trust. We are delighted to continue working with UNT to deliver their vision for the site. It is such an interesting project to work on with the client and community and offers the opportunity to design a visitor centre that is sympathetic to its landscape condition whilst providing a supportive experience for those visiting the Stones.

The linking, re-use and extension of the existing building cluster will allow for a unique solution that will be an interesting contributor to the scheduled monument status of the Standing Stones site.”

               – Ian Alexander, Design Director, jmarchitects

Imagery Credit: Dalgety Design

Credit: Paul Smith, jmarchitects Glasgow