Scottish-grown timber has been used to build a new £560,000 Scottish Birdwatching Resource Centre at Aberlady.
Developed by the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club, the 4,000ft2 centre – the first of its kind in the UK – was formally opened by Magnus Magnusson.
Forest Enterprise Scotland, which adopted the buiding as an exemplar of how native grown timber can be an attractive and sustainable option for such developments, gave the largest gift in kind. It donated all the raw material for the frame, cladding, rafters, joists, sarking, studding and flooring.
Other Scottish timber companies and the Forestry Commission were also involved in the project, pooling their resources to make the building special.
Carpenter Oak and Woodland Ltd of Kirriemuir designed and erected the massive timber frame while James Jones & Sons Ltd carried out all the sawmilling and wood procesisng for the project.
Forest Enterprise Scotland chief executive Dr Hugh Insley said: “It has been a brilliant project to be involved in and a first rate chance to show off just how good Scottish timber really is and how easily it can be used in modern buildings. The building is a fantastic showcase for all the best attributes of the Scottish timber industry.”
