ODB

Tarbet Tourism Infrastructure

New café and tourist facilities located upon the banks of Loch Lomond.

Location

Tarbet, Loch Lomond
Status

Completed Phase 1 - 2025
Client

Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park
Category

Regeneration and Masterplanning

The new café and tourism facilities at Tarbet, Loch Lomond, forms part of a wider landscape led masterplan which has improved the site to accommodate the increasing number of tourists. Designed for the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, the architectural components of the masterplan include; a new café with outdoor seating area, an outdoor shelter, new pier canopy and ticket office, and reconfiguration of the existing toilet block. Working closely with the National Park Authority stakeholders and the Tarbet community, the proposed collection of buildings celebrates the nature of the National Park by framing the breath-taking views across the loch and onward to Ben Lomond. The designs sensitively respond to the existing buildings and natural surroundings while also improving accessibility and wayfinding around the site.

The cafe interior has been designed with a limited but carefully selected palette of materials to create a warm and inviting space. Whitewashed vertical timber cladding is proposed to the areas of solid wall as a contemporary and low embodied carbon reference to the white wet dashed render of the existing building. Making reference to local vernacular of this rural Scottish setting, the design proposes a galvanised corrugated metal roof often seen across the Scottish Highlands and Islands. To create visual consistency across the masterplan the same palette of materials has been applied to the visitor shelter and pier canopy and ticket office, creating a family of pavilions within the reimagined landscape setting.

Proposed cafe and refurbished existing toilet facility.

Interior of the proposed café.

Completed phase 1 pavilion structure.

Proposed covered pier and weather shelter.

Completed phase 1 pavilion structure.

Our Process

O’DonnellBrown worked in collaboration with Land Use Consultants to develop the architectural parts of the wider landscape led masterplan. A material palette which was informed by existing buildings on the site was agreed and applied to the shelter, café, and pier creating a family of new pavilions across the site. Sustainability strategy development includes: 1) The potential for Solar Voltaics on the South facing pitches of the Pier and the Toilet Block to assist in powering the Toilet Block itself and the EV charging points upon the pier. 2) Rainwater Harvesting - gathering and re-using rainwater to use for toilet flushing within the Toilet Block. 3) Scottish Wildflower Sedum Roof to encourage the growth of native plants and wildflower species and bolster biodiversity in the area.