North Highlands College
8th November 2016

A historic and weather-exposed building has been given a new lease of life thanks to Veka fabricator Norscot.

Abden House in Dornoch, on the east coast of the Scottish Highlands was built in the 1890s to house the vast art collection of a wealthy businessman. Later it became Ross Hostel, then Ross House, today acting as an occupied college and office building – part of the University of the Highlands and Islands North Highland campus.

“Ross House's existing timber-framed sash and casement windows were in a state of decay, and far past their best in terms of thermal insulation and weatherproofing”, Norscot Commercial Director Callum Grant explained. “We tendered for the job through Public Contracts Scotland and were pleased to win the contract on the strength of our ability to independently manage both fabrication and installation, and our offering of window systems from Veka.”

“Working with educational institutions often holds strict time implications for contractors. We were able to deliver the entire 95 window project in the month from May to June, causing as little disruption to the college's staff, students and visitors as possible.”

He continued: “It was important that the new windows were styled sympathetically to the heritage of Ross House, especially as certain historic internal features of the building were specified to be retained.

“92 Tilt and Turn windows were fabricated using Veka's M70 profile. The versatility of the system, both in terms of its non-intrusive styling and flexible methods of opening made it ideal for this job. The remaining three windows included two fixed casements and one circular 'bullseye' window, again using M70 profile, foiled white both inside and out.”

He added that to satisfy the college's specification to retain timber ingoes, or reveals, the required materials were pre-finished in white paint at Norscot’s factoryso the company could 'sign off' full rooms each day, without having to wait for a painter to complete the job.

Anne Dods, Estates Manager for North Highland College said: “This installation has given us the best of both worlds: a modern window system that offers unbelievable flexibility compared to the old timber-framed units, yet still complements this building of over 100 years. Being in a coastal spot, our staff and students are already feeling its benefits on cold, blustery days. We can't wait to feel the difference when the winter comes!”

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