Leiths

Midlairgs Concrete Plant was asked to undertake a series of site trials for the supply of pigmented ready-mix concrete as part of the £35 million renovation of Inverness Castle.

Following successful trials, 'autumn malt' was the chosen colour of the RMX as this complimented the existing stone of the 19^th Century Building. The ready-mix concrete was used for the construction of large beams for the intricate roof structure which connects three separate parts of the Castle. Concrete was supplied over two pours and placed by DB Stuart, using a concrete pump. The ready-mix for the bespoke ‘saltire grid’ roof structure had to match the existing materials from the castle building itself and that’s why the initial site trials were necessary. Once the required 50Mpa strength had been achieved, the formwork and falsework used to form the structural beams were stripped and the exposed beams were then shotblasted by a specialist contractor to produce a textured appearance.

The innovative and contemporary structure was designed by LDN Architects and NARRO structural engineers and was inspired by both the Scottish Saltire and the expressed ceiling structures present in the interior of the castle. Once complete, the elegant, long spanning and interwoven roof beams will accommodate large glass roof-lights.

Bancon Construction, the main contractor on this prestigious project, were delighted to work with Leiths who assisted in the initial trials and mix design, and who ensured that the concrete supplied met the high expectations required.     

Construction work on Inverness Castle is nearing completion with the visitor attraction expected to open later this year.