Ogilvie Construction News
Company news and updates

The team behind the design and build of the Great Tapestry of Scotland visitor centre in Galashiels is celebrating after the building was won the Design Award for New Build (Commercial) in the Scottish Borders Design Awards.

The building, designed by Page\Park Architect and built by Ogilvie Construction, consists of gallery spaces, a visitor centre, café, workshop area and offices. The front of the neighbouring B listed post office was refurbished to accommodate staff and studio space.

Commenting on the visitor centre, the judges said: “This is a flagship building set in a highly sustainable location, which makes a strong contribution to revitalising the Galashiels High Street. The integration of the old post office is a very positive move which has helped save this important listed building and reduced the embodied energy of the project.”

The award comes hot on the heels of the visitor centre being awarded the highest quality assurance rating of 5-stars by Visit Scotland.

The Great Tapestry of Scotland is a unique project to stitch the entire story of Scotland from pre-history to modern times and through its artistry and visual storytelling, making Scotland’s history, heritage and culture accessible to all.

Ogilvie Construction has started building 118 new affordable homes on the site of the former Aberdeen fire station on North Anderson Drive for Sanctuary and Aberdeen City Council.

The £23 million project will provide a mix of apartments and houses, comprising one, two and three bedroom homes when it is completed in 2024.

Councillor Sandra Macdonald, Aberdeen City Council housing spokesperson, said: “It is fantastic to see that construction has started for a new affordable housing development at the former site of Aberdeen fire station. We are committed to providing more high-quality affordable housing to local residents and are pleased to be supporting this development.”

Donald MacDonald, Managing Director, Ogilvie Construction, added: “We are proud to have been chosen to build this significant affordable housing development in Aberdeen. Our team will engage with the local community throughout the construction programme to keep them advised of progress and minimise disruption in the area.

The following Ogilvie management team were delighted to attend the event with local Councillors and Sanctuary Scotland staff; Donald MacDonald – Managing Director, David Mason – Operations Manager, Brian McGuiness – Senior Project Manager, Bernard McLaughlan – Project Manager and Ryan Green – Commercial Manager

Ogilvie Construction is part of the Ogilvie Group and one of Scotland’s most consistently successful family-owned businesses.  The company is over 65 years old and employs more than 600 people across its various business operations in the UK.

The team at Ogilvie Construction are celebrating a unique double as two of the company’s projects have been shortlisted in the finals of the Scottish Property Awards.

The new Yotel in Glasgow, designed by Mosaic Architecture and Design, is shortlisted in the Regeneration Project of the Year.  The project saw the transformation of the Westergate building in the city into a 256-room hotel equipped with YOTEL’s signature design and technology driven hospitality offering.

The new first phase of the Borders Innovation Park, designed by Michael Laird Architects, is shortlisted for the Architectural Excellence Award.  The facility creates 15,000 square metres of high-quality office space in the area of Tweedbank.

Donald Macdonald, Managing Director, Ogilvie Construction, said:

“We are proud to have been part of the team that brought these fantastic projects to successful completion. They are first class buildings that significantly enhance their surrounding communities, providing important new services that benefit the local economies.”

The Scottish Property Awards aims to recognise the best new and commercial buildings in Scotland. The winners will be announced at a celebratory awards dinner on the 30^th of March.

Ogilvie Construction has boosted its estimating team with the appointment of Philip Scott.

Philip brings over 15 years of sub-contracting and estimating experience to the business with over 5 years’ main contracting experience on both commercial and social housing projects.

Donald MacDonald, Managing Director, Ogilvie Construction, said:

“We’re delighted to welcome Philip to the estimating team as we enjoy steady growth across the business. He will make a strong contribution to the ongoing success of the business as we continue to deliver exceptional quality and service to our clients.”

Ogilvie Construction is part of the Ogilvie Group and one of Scotland’s most consistently successful family-owned businesses.  The company is over 65 years old and employs more than 600 people across its various business operations in the UK.

Ogilvie Construction has handed over the first building in the new Borders Innovation Park, completing phase one of the build programme.

The new facility creates 15,000 square metres of high-quality office space with a car park to the rear and landscaping that ties into the station plaza.

The Borders Innovation Park offices provide the first step in the development of the strategically important Tweedbank Masterplan and is an important destination for new businesses, driving economic growth.

Donald MacDonald, Managing Director, Ogilvie Construction, said:

“We are delighted to have completed this project, creating a high-quality building that provides modern office space for new businesses in the area.  The construction team worked closely with Scottish Borders Council throughout the build programme successfully managing all of the challenges created by the Covid-19 pandemic”

The Borders Innovation Park is funded by Scottish Borders Council, Scottish Enterprise and the Borders Railway Blueprint programme, as well as £15 million investment secured from the Edinburgh and South East Region City Deal.

Ogilvie Construction is part of the Ogilvie Group and one of Scotland’s most consistently successful family owned businesses.  The company is over 65 years old and employs more than 600 people across its various business operations in the UK.

Our £17m Midlothian Council site is making excellent progress.

The steel frame on the 40 bed intermediate care facility has commenced and the timber kit erectors are pushing on with over 50 plots of social housing.

At the height of construction we estimate 120 people will be employed on the project. To include workers located in the surrounding area, where possible.

In Galashiels, in the heartlands of the Scottish Borders, the Great Tapestry of Scotland gallery is open for visitors following completion this year by Ogilvie Construction.

Including a cafe, workshop space and visitor centre, the unique construction houses the incredible tapestry which tells the story of Scotland's history, heritage and culture dating from 8500 BC to present day.  

To find out more about the centre, visit the Great Tapestry of Scotland website here.

Ogilvie Construction was proud to recently complete the new purpose-built Great Tapestry of Scotland visitor centre in Galashiels for Scottish Borders Council.

The latest addition to Scotland’s national cultural scene is home to one of the world’s largest community arts projects. Hand stitched by a team of 1,000 stitchers from across Scotland, the Great Tapestry of Scotland incorporates over 300 miles of wool in 160 linen panels to create a pictorial history of Scotland.

The building, designed by Page\Park Architects, consists of gallery spaces, a visitor centre, café, workshop area and offices. The front of the neighbouring B listed post office was refurbished to accommodate staff and studio space.

 Donald MacDonald, Managing Director, Ogilvie Construction, said:

“We are proud to have delivered such a prestigious project that will play an important role in Scottish culture and the regeneration of Galashiels, attracting over 50,000 visitors to the town each year.

 “Our team worked closely with Scottish Borders Council and all of the stakeholders, managing the project though the challenges of the pandemic to successful completion.  The building has been designed and built to the highest quality creating a world class attraction.”

 The Great Tapestry of Scotland is a unique project to stitch the entire story of Scotland from pre-history to modern times and through its artistry and visual storytelling, making Scotland’s history, heritage and culture accessible to all.

Ogilvie Construction has appointed Kirsty Kirke as Development Manager for Social Housing to lead its expansion in the sector.

Kirsty brings over 25 years of experience in the delivery of mixed use residential developments across the UK and will lead the programme to build on the company’s success to date. Ogilvie is currently delivering social housing projects in Fife, Aberdeen and East Lothian.

Donald MacDonald, Managing Director, Ogilvie Construction, said: “We are delighted to welcome Kirsty to the team. She will play a key role in enhancing our portfolio of social housing projects, bringing extensive experience and a unique understanding of clients’ needs.”

Ogilvie Construction is part of the Ogilvie Group, one of Scotland’s most consistently successful family owned businesses. The company is over 65 years old and employs more than 600 people across its various business operations in the UK

Ogilvie Construction is celebrating landing an internationally recognised award for demonstrating high health and safety standards for the eighth consecutive year.

Ogilvie has received a RoSPA Gold Medal Health and Safety Award for working hard to ensure its staff operate in the safest possible working environment.

Organisations receiving a RoSPA Award are recognised as being world-leaders in health and safety practice. Every year, nearly 2,000 entrants vie to achieve the highest possible accolade in what is the UK’s longest-running H&S industry awards.

Donald MacDonald, Managing Director, Ogilvie Construction, said: “Safety is at the heart of everything that we do and we are delighted to make it eight in a row with this gold award. We continue to invest heavily in achieving the highest possible health and safety standards across our operations. It has been a challenging year for everyone in construction managing the pandemic risks, but our team made have been exceptional in their dedication to maintaining those standards throughout.”

Julia Small, RoSPA’s achievements director, said: “RoSPA is very proud of the achievements of its entrants, and with this award we recognise the best of the best, those organisations that have gone the extra mile, raising the bar for the delivery of safety in the workplace. Employees, wherever they may be should be able to go to work safe in the knowledge that they will return home unharmed and healthy at the end of every day. Our RoSPA Award winners are central to achieving this goal.”

The majority of awards are non-competitive and mark achievement at merit, bronze, silver and gold levels. Gold medals, president’s awards, orders of distinction and the Patron’s Award are presented to organisations sustaining the high standards of the gold level over consecutive years.

Ogilvie Construction is part of the Ogilvie Group, one of Scotland's most consistently successful family owned businesses. The company is over 65 years old and employs more than 600 people across its various business operations.