Scotland’s national park attracts Campbell & Co

Campbell & Co has created interiors for the ‘gateway’ visitor centre at Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park, Scotland’s first national park, as part of a project worth around £150 000 in fees to the consultancy.

The Edinburgh-based consultancy has also designed the tourist information centre, a permanent exhibition and signage at the 1115m2 complex, which opens on 24 July.

Work is on-going to revamp interiors at three further visitor centres and 11 tourist information centres, due to open at the same time, which will act as ancillary resources within the bounds of the park.

The brief was to develop a facility fit for the 21st century and the design team worked closely with executive architect Bennetts Architects on the project, says Campbell & Co managing director David Campbell.

‘We were involved in the design of the shape of the building and [its] spatial development,’ says Campbell. ‘The challenge was to come up with form and content that would sit well in the landscape, but also had a contemporary [feel].’

The exhibition space comprises a series of 4m2 oak modules, open at both ends, with large scale images of different landscapes on the outside and interactive computer games, audio visual installations, listening posts and video displays inside.

Campbell adds, ‘We wanted to use modern methods of interpretation, not recreate the past. The design [of the interiors] reflects the ethos of the park and how it’s managed in the 21st century.’

Campbell & Co has been involved with the project for almost four years, having worked on the masterplanning stages. It was formally appointed two years ago, following a six-way creative pitch. Design director Gavin McCluskie is lead creative on the project.

The consultancy was commissioned by the national park’s Interim Committee, which is due to become the National Park Authority in July.