James and Taylor heatproof facade protects the Highland Archive Centre
(06/11/2009)

Completed to coincide with the Year of Scottish Homecoming 2009, the Highland Archive Centre in Inverness will house a treasure trove of Scotland’s rarest and most historically significant papers and documents.

Cladding specialist James & Taylor have put a highly secure face on the Highland Archive Centre. The temperature and light-controlled building has been specially designed to be the perfect environment to house the artefacts, which have until now been stored in less than ideal surroundings.

James & Taylor supplied Alphaton rainscreen cladding to the exterior of the building. It’s a waterproof, heat resistant, tough but lightweight material – the ideal hardwearing host for the valuable cultural contents within.

The building was designed with very few windows to protect the documents from harmful daylight. However because of the centre’s role as a family research centre the exterior needed to be appealing to visitors.

Colin Henderson, James & Taylor’s Sales Director for Scotland comments: “From a professional perspective this is a very interesting project. The absence of windows changes the way the building is perceived and alters the aesthetic appreciation significantly. Alphaton is a classic and versatile product that responds well to the elements.

“It’s great to be involved with a project that will ensure the survival of many of Scotland’s key historical artefacts including the police archive and the Highland photographic archive with its 150,000 images.”

Architect Peter McIlhenny, LDN Architects llp, comments: “James & Taylor offered an aesthetic that we were keen to pursue and, crucially, offered comprehensive technical support and data to help achieve it with the minimum of fuss.”