Scottish Seabird Centre, National Marine North Berwick Building Photo, Location, Phone

Scottish Seabird Centre

North Berwick Birdwatching Centre near Bass Rock, East Lothian, Scotland

31 Oct 2017

National Marine Centre in North Berwick Building Design, East Lothian, South East Scotland

National Marine Centre in North Berwick

A petition signed by nearly 3,000 people against the development of a proposed National Marine Centre in North Berwick has been handed to East Lothian Council, according to the East Lothian Courier.

image courtesy of architects

The petition was organised by the North Berwick Harbour Trust Association (NBHTA) in an attempt to stop the multi-million-pound development (see image below, by architects Simpson & Brown), which would be an extension to the existing Scottish Seabird Centre.

The £5.5 million proposals are for an extension, including a 360-degree observatory, to the Seabird Centre building and offices adjacent.

22 Mar 2012

Scottish Seabird Centre News

National Marine Centre

The Scottish Seabird Centre in North Berwick could be renamed under plans for a major expansion. The North Berwick centre has become a popular visitor attraction since opening 12 years ago. It could now be renamed the National Marine Centre to highlight its role in raising awareness of Scotland’s marine environment and wildlife.

Scottish Seabird Centre : pictures © Adrian Welch

The expansion plans would create additional facilities for visitors, particularly school groups. More than a quarter of a million people already visit the five-star rated attraction every year. The centre’s original architects, Simpson & Brown, have produced some sketch drawings of what the extension could look like.

Scottish Seabird Centre North Berwick

Ornithology Centre close to Bass Rock on Firth of Forth

Phone +44 (0)1620 890 202

Scottish Seabird Centre, North Berwick Harbour, East Lothian, southeast Scotland, UK
date built: 1999
Design: Simpson & Brown Architects, Leith, Edinburgh

Organic style building using timber boarding and rubble walls, perched on the edge of the sea. The Scottish Seabird Centre meets the visitor with a divided prow form, of modern conception but feeling timeless, redolent of Peter Salter’s work in Japan. This is the building’s best facade.

Scottish Seabird Centre: photos © Adrian Welch 2007

As the land falls away to either side one imagines the Scottish Seabird Centre being splashed by the waves: disappointingly there is a large tarmac carpark between the SSB and the sea, a great shame. The building’s fenestration is tucked under the eaves, hooded eyes looking into the strong winds that blow here. Inside there is too much plain timber for me. Also, the transom in the cafe blocked my view of Bass Rock and the Isle of May: however, in no way did it obstruct for my children’s task of ‘looking out for sharks’.

property photograph from Simpson & Brown Architects

The interior of the building is centrifugally-planned around a double-height space that connects the lower exhibition flloor up past the entry level to the central rooflight. This allows vistas and light but is unfortunately glazed in with a timber-framed screen, limiting the poignancy.

Bass Rock pictures © Adrian Welch 12009

In summary this contemporary North Berwick property is a bold building that tries to do something new: neither modern nor traditional, it asks questions.

Contact Details:
Address: The Harbour, North Berwick, East Lothian, Scotland, United Kingdom
Email: [email protected]

The Seabird Centre is essentially a wildlife visitor centre close to Bass Rock. The Centre has a Gift Shop and Café with views and open deck over the Firth of Forth.