The Lodge Visitor Centre, Aberfoyle

David Marshall Lodge is the flagship visitor attraction in the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park in the Trossachs and it has served the area well for 50 years as a major recreation, leisure and educational resource.

The building, originally opened in 1960, had been extended and had other refurbishments of various levels over the years. It had run into disrepair and was not being used to its full potential. The intention was to fully refurbish the building to enhance the visitor experience and attract more visitors to the park, increasing revenue.

During Phase I we built a new 80m service road cut into the hillside as well as 2km of forest paths, and increased car parking to the lodge, while also moving the coach parking away from the busy pedestrian access routes.

We constructed a new easy access path to the nearby waterfall, removed the existing play area and created new play features, and constructed a new wildlife hide and path along the new waterfall walk. We developed a bespoke traffic and pedestrian access plan to ensure safety as the lodge remained open during this phase.

Phase I was handed over four weeks early and included reforming the entrance from the main road to allow us to reverse the traffic flow for vehicular and pedestrian safety.

Full refurbishment included asbestos removal and soft strip, major structural alterations and fit out. Modest works were carried out to the exterior, due to the listed nature of the building. A new timber-framed external toilet block was also included.

Mechanical and electrical works included new heating, connecting into an existing biomass boiler housed in the neighbouring Go-Ape building. They also included new hot and cold water services, ducted ventilation to the kitchen area (with natural ventilation elsewhere), new lighting, emergency lighting, fire and intruder alarm systems, and small power and data services.

Through work placements carried out in association with Forth Valley College, one of the students was offered and accepted an apprenticeship with our ceiling and partitions sub-contractor.

We also completed a building session at Aberfoyle Primary School for Primary 7 pupils and hosted a visit prior to completion of the project. These were held to make children more aware of the world of work and construction in particular.

Reclaimed timber from existing decking was donated to McLaren High School in Callander. Slabs and decking boards from around temporary facilities were given to local community and non-slip decking recovered from a temporary mini-lodge was gifted to the Forestry Commission.