Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter and Dualchas Architects have unveiled their plans for the St Kilda Visitor Center, which will be located on a cliff-top site at Geodha Sgoilt in the Uig area of the island of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. Through the project, visitors will be able to experience the drama of St Kilda without physically visiting the famous archipelago, which lies over 50 miles to the southwest.
A triple world heritage site, St Kilda is famous not only for its sea cliffs and marine life but more for the story of how a community survived at the remote location before being evacuated in 1930.
By telling the story of this abandoned community, the current community of Uig hopes to catalyze economic development and reverse the population decline they have been suffering.
High-quality architecture can be an economic generator in remote rural communities- something both RRA and Dualchas have been committed to in rural Norway and the Scottish Highlands and Islands,” stated Dualchas director Neil Stephen. This can only happen if there is ambition and vision, which the community of Uig have in abundance – which is why this project is both exciting and important.
The project has been backed by UNESCO, and will serve as a template for creating “remote access” to the many World Heritage Sites that are geographically out of reach, environmentally fragile, or located in war zones.
News via Dualchas Architects.
