Industrial
Model showing the
main steel elements
NSC 11
June 18
within the depth of the primary steel rafters,
which results in the bracings stopping and
starting either side of the purlins,” explains
Mackay Steelwork & Cladding Director Neil
Mackay.
Using one 80t-capacity mobile crane
for the steelwork, and a 55t-capacity crane
for the cladding, Mackay completed the
majority of its programme in six weeks.
“The biggest challenge has been trying
to co-ordinate all of our activities in a tight
site, where most of the time we could only
operate one mobile crane,” adds Mr Mackay.
“At the same time, areas of roof steel
and cladding had to be left out to allow
installation of distilling stills and tanks. This
happened during our construction phase
and these areas of roof steel and cladding
were then installed retrospectively.”
As well as the main distillery building,
Mackay has also erected a pipe bridge that
connects water tanks (known as the tank
farm) with the distilling process within the
mash house area, and a small steel-framed
boiler house to the rear of the site.
Other buildings on the site are being
renovated to form ancillary structures for
the distillery. Two detached stone one-anda
half storey cottages to each side of the
main building will become offices and staff
accommodation. An old dairy building
behind the staff quarters will become
a blending and product development
laboratory, while a three-storey house will be
converted into a vaulted cask storage area.
The Ardross Distillery is expected to
produce its first spirits by the end of the year.
Summing up, the Highland Council
says that through the use of appropriate
materials, with new sections of the building
being sensitively sited and designed when
viewed alongside the existing buildings, the
project will safeguard the long-term future
of the dilapidated historic buildings.
In a report it concluded: “It is
encouraging to see the future of the listed
buildings protected and secured through
a high-quality design, which respects the
setting of the steading and the nearby
Category A listed Ardross Castle.”
The distillery sits
within a large rundown
farmstead
New steel elements are
connected to retained
stone walls
/Construction#Mobile_cranes
/Construction#Mobile_cranes