Turbine Hall, Ben Cruachan Hydro Electric Scheme

James Williamson and Partners; George Rennie (resident engineer for North of Scotland hydro Electric Board technical panel); J B Armstrong (architect); 1959-65. Monumental underground barrel vaulted chamber forming turbine hall hollowed out from solid bedrock with long sloping vaulted access tunnel; additional chambers housing transformers and tunnels, one forming access roadway to machine hall. Large turbine hall 36 metres high, 90 metres long with viewing gallery to NE corner at upper level and concrete lined vaulted roof. Regularly spaced columns to N supporting track for overhead gantry cranes. Tiled floor. Control panels to S wall with large inlaid timber mural by Elizabeth Faulkner above to SE. Alternating timber panels and acoustic baffling panels of concrete consisting of regular geometric shapes to remainder of S wall. Offices to S including control room at upper level with projecting faceted timber and plate glass window overlooking turbine hall floor; transformer room and surge shaft to far S. Large overhead lighting panels with lights contained by panelled timber wings cantilevered from large central beam. Matt grey square ceramic tiles to entrance and replacement tiles to turbine hall.

ACCESS TUNNEL: vaulted vehicular access tunnel running for 1 kilometre from tunnel entrance. Terminating in round arched entrance to turbine hall lined with rectangular slate tiles. Pedestrian entrance to offices directly adjacent to left (E) with split slate tiles forming apron around doorway.