Normally golfers don’t like seeing a three turn into a four, but an innovative addition at Castle Stuart Golf Links is proving an exception.
The three-bedroom luxury Golf Lodge, which overlooks the 18th green on the Scottish Open venue, has had a fourth bedroom added using a creative method that is being seen a prototype for a proposed larger development.
The 25 sq. metre extra room was built and fully fitted off-site by Invergordon-based Carbon Dynamic and then hoisted into position by crane before the finishing touches were applied.
A similar approach on a larger scale will be used to create a planned 66-bedroom hotel earmarked for the Castle Stuart site over the next few years. Feedback from visitors using the Golf Lodge in the coming months will help shape the design of the larger building.
The Golf Lodge is the home of Castle Stuart managing partner and co-designer Mark Parsinen when he visits from California and has also been used by a number of high-profile visitors including Arnold Palmer, former First Minister Alex Salmond, former Open champion Paul Lawrie and officials from the European Tour.
The new bedroom was built using cross-laminated timber which is seen as a quicker, greener alternative to concrete or steel structural frames. The structure is also energy efficient, including the use of infra-red heating which is more effective and efficient than conventional methods.
Grant Sword, a partner in Castle Stuart Golf Links, said: “Using this creative and innovative modular method we were able to extend the property while minimising the disruption on the course.
“It also provides us with an ideal opportunity to design and test this method on a smaller scale with a view to developing it for the larger hotel project. In the meantime we will be able to use valuable feedback to ensure we provide the best possible facilities for our golfing visitors.”
“We have been impressed with the work of Carbon Dynamic and are having this expertise available from a local firm is ideal for us.”
Matt Stevenson, managing director of Carbon Dynamic, said: “We were really excited to deliver this project to Castle Stuart. We are delighted that the client and architects recognised the value of bringing a modern, sustainable, modular approach to the project.
“Our modular solution for the hotel uses cross laminated timber as the core structural material and we believe this is an invaluable material for the future of sustainable building. The fact that we can adapt the prototype module for the hotel to be installed as an addition to an existing lodge at the club demonstrates the versatility of a modular approach.
“The off-site construction meant minimal disturbance to the grounds and it also meant that Castle Stuart were able to see and approve the finished article ahead of installation. Putting the prototype unit into active use is an invaluable way of gathering feedback on the finished article ahead of manufacture of the full 66 modules for the proposed hotel which will be a stunning addition to the accommodation available at Castle Stuart.”
Carbon Dynamics recently completed 13 five-star lodges for the Kingsmills Hotel in Inverness. These were manufactured and fully fitted out in the factory in less than three weeks.
Both Castle Stuart and the Kingsmills Hotel are part of the Highland Golf Links partnership which promote Stay and Play packages for visitors. The group also includes Royal Dornoch Golf Club, The Nairn Golf Club, Culloden House in Inverness and the Royal Golf Hotel in Dornoch.
Castle Stuart Golf Links opened in 2009 and has achieved global acclaim in its first six years. It will host the Scottish Open in 2016 for the fourth time in six years.
Carbon Dynamic was founded in 2009 by Matt Stevenson, a Royal College of Art MA sculptor graduate with a vision to create high performance sustainable buildings that could be built off-site using only natural materials. The Company is pioneering the off-site manufacture of beautiful, sustainable buildings combining natural materials and innovative design to create attractive and diverse structures for a variety of purposes including low-energy hotels, holiday lodges and affordable housing.
Carbon Dynamic currently employs a team of over 30 talented individuals who all believe that by using world-class design and superb natural materials, beautiful, low-energy buildings can become the norm rather than the exception.
Castle Stuart Golf Links www.castlestuartgolf.com
Carbon Dynamic www.carbondynamic.com
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