St Andrews Links Trust has officially opened its new £2million office and warehouse facility, The Morris Building, with the help of golf stars Helen Alfredsson and Carly Booth.
Former Women’s British Open Champion Alfredsson, Sweden, and 21-year-old Booth, Scotland, officially unveiled the newest addition to the Links landscape, which reflects the great legacy and importance of the Morris name in St Andrews’ history through to the present day.
The state-of-the-art office and storage facility is a key component of the Links commercial and retail operation and helps to provide a more efficient streamlined service to the five stores operated in St Andrews.
It is also home to open plan offices, meeting rooms and a showroom for the first-ever Tom Morris lifestyle clothing collection, which is now available in the flagship store on the Links. On the first floor the Morris Suite will be used for conferencing, training, learning and development.
Just like its namesake, the development has innovation at its heart with cutting edge technology used in its heating and cooling systems as well as a range of organic materials in its construction, including a sedum roof, which is comprised of organic materials from indigenous herbs and bushes, aided by rainwater harvesting techniques.
St Andrews Links Trust Chairman of Trustees Peter Forster said: “When we started this project on the site of a former contractor’s yard our main ambition was to match groundbreaking design with green credentials.
“Those ambitions have now been realised, and we are proud to have an extremely attractive and comfortable working environment together with excellent storage facilities, all delivered within an ecologically sound package
“The building has instantly won admirers for its natural beauty and as the natural materials weather we believe it will continue to blend into the living landscape becoming an integral part of the Links, both aesthetically and from a practical perspective.”
Chief Executive Euan Loudon added: “We are all immensely proud of what Tom Morris achieved and acutely aware of what his legacy means to St Andrews.
“This building represents many of his outstanding qualities; he devoted much of his life to tending to the Links and cared passionately about development, sustainability and innovation. The MorrisBuilding was inspired by and built with those qualities at its heart and will ensure his name is synonymous with them for future generations, here in St Andrews.”
Mr Loudon thanked Booth and Aldredsson for their support and participation in a Junior Masterclass, which more than 20 children from the St Andrews Links Junior Golf Association (SALJGA) attended. He wished them the best of luck at this year’s Championship, which takes place over the Old Course from 1-4 August.
The MorrisBuilding cost more than £2million and signals a significant investment in the Links and surrounding areas with contracts awarded to construction firm Robertson and the architect agency Archial.
The completion of The Morris Building has also aided the creation of several new retail jobs as part of the Links continued commitment to investing in staff.
St Andrews Links Trust www.standrews.org.uk