Lomondgate's new Andy Scott sculpture of a stag, a symbol of regeneration and growth, has a prominent position at the gateway to the Lomondgate development.
A majestic stag designed by internationally renowned sculptor
Andy Scott has been erected at the entrance to Lomondgate Business
Park and Lomondgate Services this week.
The six metre high sculpture, weighing two tons, towers over the
Park which will offer 200,000 sq ft of office space accommodating
potentially over 1,000 people when complete.
The Business Park is a key part of the £100m Lomondgate
development, a thriving new community in Dumbarton with 338 private
homes being built on site and a Premier Inn with Brewers' Fayre
family pub/restaurant and Scotland's first drive-thru Costa Coffee
already open for business. It also home to BBC's River City studios
and Aggreko's new £22m manufacturing plant and office
facility.
The stag, which took months of painstaking work to design and
build, takes pride of place at the roundabout, providing access to
Lomondgate Services and the Business Park which will offer a wide
range of offices along with support facilities.
To be illuminated by spotlights at night, the stag appears to be
standing in water with its reflection underneath, linking the
Business Park to the nearby River Leven, Firth of Clyde and Loch
Lomond. The stag structure, which is made out of around 2km
of steel chopped up into thousands of pieces and welded together,
is set on a raised plinth and integrated within the landscaping of
the roundabout.
Best known for his work such as the Heavy Horse on the M8 and
Arria near Cumbernauld, artist Andy said that he took inspiration
from the surrounding area when creating the stag. He said: "Loch
Lomond is a place of astounding natural beauty and I wanted to
design a sculpture that featured some of the Scottish wildlife
found there. The stag really spoke for itself as it is such a
strong iconic Scottish image.
"The real challenge of the design was to portray the stag's
reflection in the water, which was something new for me and took
quite a bit of work but I am really happy with how it has turned
out."
Mike Edward, Development Director of Walker Group, which is
developing the Lomondgate development in partnership with
Strathleven Regeneration Company, said: "We have long been admirers
of Andy's work and we are thrilled to have an Andy Scott original
at the entrance to the new business park and roadside
services.
"In heraldry a stag is a symbol of regeneration and growth which
is very fitting for a commercial development which is being built
on land which has lain empty for years and is now being transformed
into a state-of-the-art business park and roadside services area
designed to bring new UK and international companies to the area
along with providing much needed accommodation for local
business.
"We hope the stag will become a real local landmark and talking
point for the thousands of motorists when they drive towards the
Lomondgate roundabout or arrive at the development."
David Hastings, Chief Executive of Strathleven Regeneration C.I.C,
added: "In these times of austerity it's great to see the private
sector investing in public art in West Dunbartonshire, especially
as part of the Walker Group's wider multi-million pound investment
in the Lomondgate regeneration project."
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