A Decade of Engineering Excellence Across the Highlands
This week marks an important milestone for Narro as our Inverness office celebrates ten years of delivering high quality structural and civil engineering services across the Highlands and northern Scotland. What began as Narro’s third office, originally located in Forres, has grown into a thriving regional hub that now plays a central role in supporting clients, communities and heritage across one of the most distinctive landscapes in the country.
The team relocated from Forres to Inverness in 2020, strengthening our presence in the Highland capital and expanding our ability to work closely with partners across the region. Continued growth meant that by November 2025 we were ready for the next step. The office moved to a modern open plan workplace in Fairways Business Park, a relocation designed not only to accommodate increasing headcount but also to provide a collaborative, sustainable and future focused environment. Today, our Inverness team of eight talented engineers and technicians continues to drive forward a diverse portfolio of projects spanning conservation, tourism, community development, infrastructure and commercial work.
Reflecting on the past decade, several standout projects demonstrate the breadth and ambition of the team’s contribution to the region.
Preserving and Reimagining Highland Heritage
One of the most significant undertakings has been the transformational redevelopment of Inverness Castle. The project has turned the former sheriff court into a world class visitor attraction. Narro delivered complex structural solutions that included strengthening both towers, forming new openings and constructing roof level terraces. We also engineered a new concrete and glass link building which was sensitively positioned above a historic well that was retained as a feature. The wider works incorporated sustainable drainage, embankment stabilisation and improved landscaping around Castlehill.
Work at Aldourie Estate represents another major series of commissions where traditional craftsmanship meets modern engineering expertise. The award winning Biomass Energy Building uses locally sourced wood pellets to power a district heating system and has been widely recognised for both its sustainability and its architectural sensitivity. The Walled Garden and its associated pavilion, potting shed and gardener’s cottage were carefully designed to blend with the estate’s historic character. These spaces feature traditional detailing such as a hand cut ogee roof, chestnut lath and plaster interiors and reclaimed Caithness flagstones.
Further Aldourie projects include the restoration of a derelict steading into a multifunctional space, the construction of new barns using locally sourced Douglas Fir and oak frames, and a new gatehouse built in the Lorimer style with turrets, crow stepped gables and traditionally crafted interiors. The major refurbishment of Aldourie Castle itself required extensive structural and civil engineering work including a new kitchen extension, piled foundations, retaining structures and complex hidden infrastructure such as a pumped SuDS system. The Boathouse on Loch Ness provided one of the estate’s most technically challenging sites. This hand built oak framed structure required all materials to be delivered by water and involved precise timber installation, coffer dams and reinforced retaining walls.
Heritage projects elsewhere in the region include the conservation led transformation of Fairburn Tower for The Landmark Trust, stabilisation and refurbishment of Canna House to protect its significant collections and the conversion of Borodale House on the Isle of Raasay into a boutique whisky distillery with new production facilities, a warehouse, access roads and drainage.
Enhancing Visitor Experiences and Supporting Local Communities
Over the past decade, Narro Inverness has delivered several projects that strengthen visitor engagement with the Highlands’ natural and cultural assets. The Dundreggan Rewilding Centre for Trees for Life is a £3.3 million visitor and education facility that showcases rewilding, Gaelic heritage and forest restoration. Built largely from Scottish timber, it features learning spaces, a café and outdoor discovery areas that encourage connection with the surrounding landscape.
At Corrieshalloch Gorge, Narro contributed engineering expertise to a £2.3 million upgrade of visitor facilities. The project required precise design to work with shallow rock, steep topography and protected habitats. Solutions included innovative sustainable drainage systems, a hessian bag retaining wall and timber visitor structures.
Closer to home, the Carse Hub in Inverness delivered two new low carbon community buildings, The Treehouse and The Boathouse, while also improving towpaths, footpaths and accessibility around the canal and Merkinch Nature Reserve. The new visitor pavilion at Brodie Castle’s Playful Garden and the construction of Highland Cinema in Fort William further demonstrate the team’s ability to balance architectural ambition with engineering practicality.
Supporting Local Business and Regional Growth
Commercial and industrial projects form another essential part of the Inverness team’s portfolio. Narro delivered structural and civil engineering for the Wick Industrial Units, using steel portal frames and insulated cladding to create efficient new workspaces. The project included major civil works such as a road extension and car park design.
In Elgin, the team supported the opening of a new Poundland store through roof strengthening and fabric repairs to a Category B listed building. At Skibo Castle’s Carnegie Links Golf House, Narro helped deliver a 350 square metre extension featuring steel framed elements combined with traditional masonry and timber to create new retail and dining areas.
Further afield, the team supported Benromach Distillery with the construction of two new cask warehouses, overcoming challenges such as a high water table and the need to plan for future infrastructure. The SRUC Rural and Veterinary Innovation Centre in Inverness represents one of the office’s most forward looking projects. Designed to meet strict sustainability targets, it combines low carbon materials, BIM led design and carefully coordinated civil engineering to create a collaborative hub for research, veterinary services and bioscience enterprises.
As Narro Inverness marks its tenth anniversary, the team remains committed to supporting clients with thoughtful, sustainable and technically rigorous engineering solutions. With a growing team and a modern new base in Fairways Business Park, we look forward to continuing to shape the region’s built environment for the next decade and beyond.
