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Located on Tower Road, Smithton, the new building is sited at a former timber mill,
which housed the post war timber offices, workshops and stores. The demolition of these
buildings will be undertaken once the new building is complete.
The design ethos of the two-storey building centres around the need to create a building
that is sustainable and exemplifies the use of timber in construction. In addition the
exploration of possible uses of other timbers that by tradition are not normally used in
construction such as Scots Pine for cladding, minimising the use of treated timber - due
to their containing potentially hazardous waste materials such as arsenic and chromium
- thus reducing the problem of disposal of materials at the end of the design life.
The state-of-the-art building has been specifically designed by Architect, HRI-architects
in association with Hurd Rolland Partnership, to maximise energy efficiency, promote
recycling, and minimise environmental impact.
Jack Mackay, District Forester for Forestry Commission Scotland’s Inverness Forest
District, explained: “The new Green office will be a welcome contrast to the existing
office which started life as a timer-drying shed in the 1960s. We’re proud as foresters of
our Green forest management principles and practices and we are very excited that
we’re emulating these through the design and construction of the new office. Work on
the timber frame has now started and the team here are already eagerly awaiting the
move to the new premises later this year.
“Hurd Rolland Architects in Inverness have come up with a design built to sustainable
standards. The Douglas Fir trees used for the frame has come from the Commission’s
own forests in the Great Glen. It is planned that all other timber used in the construction
comes from sustainable sources.
“We are particularly enthusiastic about features in the building such as the passive air
flow system, the reuse of rain water in the flush toilets and the use of a wood fuelled
under floor heating system.”
Other features include a carbon-neutral boiler burning woodchips from Scottish trees that
have been grown in an environmentally friendly way. The building will make maximum
use of locally grown timber and even the insulation material will be made from
renewable materials such
as wood or recycled paper.
Internally the main office is
a simple open plan layout
in a double height space,
with a gallery at first floor
level providing additional
office accommodation.
Upon completion in
December 2006, it is
hoped the development
will achieve a BREEAM
Excellent rating.
Construction of the Office
is being undertaken by
Main Contractor
MM Miller (Inverness) Ltd.
Elsewhere in Inverness, the
Commission’s Longman
Workshop, is continuing to
lead the way with
renewable energy and has
recently installed a Swift
building mounted grid
connected, roof top wind
turbine - a first for the
Forestry Commission.
The small wind turbine,
rated at 1.5kW in a
10.5m/s wind, situated on
the workshop roof, can
directly power the building
with no need to feed into
the grid. Each turbine can
reduce carbon dioxide
emissions by up to 1.4
tonnes per year.
Richard Earle, Forestry Commission’s Sustainability Project Officer, said: “Microrenewables
are becoming an increasingly practical way of generating electricity and heat
for homes and commercial buildings.
“We have been committed to ‘environmental best practice’ for many years and are
delighted the wind turbine has been installed. It will be used to supplement the electricity
in the workshop and will help to reduce our carbon dioxide emissions.
“This is the second renewable energy project at the workshop as we installed a wood
pellet stove there earlier this year.
“We also have plans to install wood chip heating later this year. Collectively, all of these
things make a big difference to carbon emissions - as well as saving money - and we
encourage others to introduce similar initiatives”
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