Lochranza Distillery Extension

The project aimed to increase the site’s whisky distillation capacity by adding four new washbacks. They identified this as phase one of potentially multiple future phases to further enhance the distillery’s capabilities.

Denham Youd, with distillery experience on Arran, formed an Architect led design team. They invited Narro for civil and structural engineering consultancy. This engagement led to the project’s formal appointment.

The extension involved constructing a new build mash house extension adjacent to an existing 30-year-old building. The designers created the new structure to fill the gap between the distillery and the visitor centre. They seamlessly integrated it with the existing infrastructure. This enhanced the distillery’s operational capacity.

The extension to the Lochranza Distillery was built using a two-story steel frame, designed to provide robust support and facilitate operational efficiency. The structure included an open mesh mezzanine deck, which allowed staff easy access to the new washbacks for maintenance purposes. They constructed the ground floor slab from concrete, providing a solid foundation for the building and incorporating a raised cantilever slab to support the façade above. The extension featured a large curved glass curtain walling system, adding both aesthetic appeal and functional transparency to the design. We executed the project using Revit, a Building Information Modelling (BIM) software, which enabled detailed and coordinated planning throughout the design and construction phases.

Challenges

The project presented several challenges, primarily due to its location within a live distillery and the site constraints. As the construction site was an infill area between two existing buildings, containing numerous services that required careful coordination and diversion. An extensive initial investigation was necessary to map out these services and plan around them. Moreover, access to the site was through a car park that would continue to provide public parking during the work, necessitating strategic planning for material deliveries and the use of cranes within a limited space.

Despite these challenges, they meticulously planned the construction program to meet a very specific deadline, driven by the need to be operational for an upcoming festival. They achieved this deadline, underscoring the efficiency and effectiveness of their coordination and execution efforts.

The extension to the Lochranza Distillery enhanced production capacity and demonstrated exemplary project management. Despite constrained conditions, Denham Youd led various stakeholders to ensure the project’s success. This collaboration paves the way for future development phases at the distillery.