Barr Construction Ltd
Encyclopedia
Barr Construction is a major Scottish contracting organisation operating throughout the United Kingdom
.
y firm known as W & J Barr & Sons and gradually expanded into civil engineering projects. The firm was incorporated in 1976 as Barr began to grow its operations out of its native Ayrshire
and into larger civil engineering
developments.
Firmly established in the civil engineering sector at the start of the 1990s, Barr looked to broaden its skillbase by developing its portfolio in building projects. During the next decade, Barr developed its skills across a number of core sectors. These sectors included Retail, Leisure and Education. The current structure has evolved to reflect the organisation’s strengths in these sectors.
The company is best known perhaps for its stadia work which includes new facilities for Southampton, Fulham, Celtic, and Rangers Football Clubs as well as projects for lower league and rugby clubs. The projects at Airdrieonians and Raith Rovers excited controversy when the resulting debts to Barr Construction threatened to bankrupt the clubs.
In 2001 the company won the contract to upgrade the A830 road
between Mallaig
and Fort William
in the Scottish highlands.
In 2006 Barr built the first "eco-store" for Tesco
at Wick
in Scotland
, using the unorthodox method of ship transport to deliver building materials to the site in order to save on carbon emissions.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
History
The Company began life at the end of the nineteenth century as a joinerJoiner
A joiner differs from a carpenter in that joiners cut and fit joints in wood that do not use nails. Joiners usually work in a workshop since the formation of various joints generally requires non-portable machinery. A carpenter normally works on site...
y firm known as W & J Barr & Sons and gradually expanded into civil engineering projects. The firm was incorporated in 1976 as Barr began to grow its operations out of its native Ayrshire
Ayrshire
Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...
and into larger civil engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
developments.
Firmly established in the civil engineering sector at the start of the 1990s, Barr looked to broaden its skillbase by developing its portfolio in building projects. During the next decade, Barr developed its skills across a number of core sectors. These sectors included Retail, Leisure and Education. The current structure has evolved to reflect the organisation’s strengths in these sectors.
The company is best known perhaps for its stadia work which includes new facilities for Southampton, Fulham, Celtic, and Rangers Football Clubs as well as projects for lower league and rugby clubs. The projects at Airdrieonians and Raith Rovers excited controversy when the resulting debts to Barr Construction threatened to bankrupt the clubs.
In 2001 the company won the contract to upgrade the A830 road
A830 road
The A830, sometimes known as the Road to the Isles , is a road in Lochaber, in the Highlands of Scotland, which connects the town of Fort William to the port of Mallaig....
between Mallaig
Mallaig
Mallaig ; is a port in Lochaber, on the west coast of the Highlands of Scotland. The local railway station, Mallaig, is the terminus of the West Highland railway line , completed in 1901, and the town is linked to Fort William by the A830 road – the "Road to the Isles".The village of Mallaig...
and Fort William
Fort William, Scotland
Fort William is the second largest settlement in the highlands of Scotland and the largest town: only the city of Inverness is larger.Fort William is a major tourist centre with Glen Coe just to the south, Aonach Mòr to the north and Glenfinnan to the west, on the Road to the Isles...
in the Scottish highlands.
In 2006 Barr built the first "eco-store" for Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
at Wick
Wick, Highland
Wick is an estuary town and a royal burgh in the north of the Highland council area of Scotland. Historically, it is one of two burghs within the county of Caithness, of which Wick was the county town. The town straddles the River Wick and extends along both sides of Wick Bay...
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, using the unorthodox method of ship transport to deliver building materials to the site in order to save on carbon emissions.