PROJECT: Archaeolink Visitor Centre

LOCATION: Aberdeenshire

DATE: 1997

We worked with the Archaeolink Trust to secure funding from local authorities, Scottish Enterprise and ERDF to design a visitor centre to house an exhibition relating the story of the region's rich archaeology while also providing a starting point for visits.

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.