| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Construction |
| Founded | Late nineteenth century |
| Headquarters | Paisley, Scotland |
| Key people | Barclay Chalmers, (MD) |
| Website | www.barr-construction.co.uk |
Barr Construction is a major Scottish contracting organisation operating throughout the United Kingdom.
The Company began life at the end of the nineteenth century as a joinery 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[1] and Raith Rovers[2] 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.[3]
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.[4]