Respectful, sustainable design on the banks of the river Ness
The Glebe Street site, formerly hosting the Inverness Swimming Pool, located on the banks of the River Ness, is a key site and of great regeneration importance in terms of the city centre, the river front and the city’s conservation area.
The construction of the new hotel will incorporate low energy, sustainable construction technology using Cross laminated timber (CLT), and offsite manufacturing, which is used to create the modular bedrooms ensuring accuracy and standardisation whilst minimising waste.
The construction site has an important history and it great to see redevelopment 10 years after the demolition of the swimming pool. The Inverness swimming pool and baths in Glebe Street was built in 1936 and the pool hosted five Swimming Clubs. It provided mixed bathing throughout the year, with certain exceptions and hours being allotted for Ladies only and the clubs. It was the largest indoor pool in Scotland at 100 feet x 40 feet, with depths from three feet to nine feet. The water temperature was maintained at 78°F in winter and 74°F in summer.
Generations of Invernessians learned to swim there, including myself in the late 1970’s and it was a focal point in the weekly routines and social lives of many people. At the time these civic amenities were of great pride to the local people. Invariably there would be a huge procession when the baths were officially opened. A local dignitary would make a speech and they'd often use words something like 'cleanliness is second to godliness'. And this was the prime motive behind the actual provision of what was initially a public wash house. But the swimming pool gradually superseded the baths particularly as we moved into the 20th Century. There was quite a proliferation of new swimming pool buildings in the 1930s to encourage people to swim for health and fitness. Many towns competed with each other to build bigger and better.
Many from Inverness and visitors to the Highlands will remember the swimming baths with fondness, in trepidation and some with a small element of fear (Mr Dyce was a formidable swimming instructor!). It has poignant memories for me too having attended late in 1970’s, bussed in from a local primary school with the rest of my class. I remember the saloon door changing cubicles and you could see feet at the bottom and heads at the top either side of the pool, girls to the left, boys to the right.
The building was demolished in 2000 when the modern Aquadome sports complex was built at Bught Park.
The Highland council finally gave permission to developer Vastint Hospitality in December 2019 to build on the site, and work commenced earlier this year. The aspirations for the development were to rejuvenate the redundant site, bringing pedestrian activity back towards Friar’s bridge, drawn along the river front from the city centre.
The Keppie-designed hotel will be operated by the Mariott hotel chain, a brand which is modern, functional and elegant and the first of its kind to be developed in Scotland.
The design includes:
- 175 bedroom, 4 star hotel
- Takes cognisance of the adjacent conservation area
- A contemporary hotel incorporating the latest Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) technology, used by Vastint throughout their projects
- A broader masterplan for the area showing future development opportunities
It incorporates the low energy, sustainable construction technology through the use of CLT, and offsite manufacturing, which is used to create the modular bedrooms ensuring accuracy and standardisation whilst minimising waste.
