North Lanarkshire Council appointed Covanburn Contracts to create a memorial within Strathclyde Country Park as part of Scottish Government’s Remembering Together Covid Memorial programme. This was a high-profile project aiming to provide a lasting legacy for the communities of North Lanarkshire to remember the difficult experiences and loss that occurred through the pandemic, but also celebrate the coming together of communities and gains that were made along the way. The memorial comprises a paved area surrounded by tiered concrete seating and steel art panels set into soft landscaping, to create an ‘outdoor amphitheatre’.
The works comprised the following principle elements:
Earthworks and preparatory works
Excavation and mounding of on-site and imported materials with Type 1 material
added to engineer’s specification to form banked profile. Removal of vegetation and topsoil over paved area. A trench was formed and reinforced concrete foundation for concrete retaining wall footings and drainage with washed gravel infill.
Concrete seating
Reinforced concrete modules formed the amphitheatre seating with fine finish and
rounded arris, inlaid with a rainbow effect insert strip of coloured resin bound glass. 6no. concrete steps formed at one end of the memorial.
Paved area
Resin bound gravel on thick compacted type 1 base, with pre-cast concrete coloured setts at edges, connecting to the existing lochside path.
Installation of art panels
A metalwork artist created a number of art panels that was integrated into the memorial. Final fixing was formed to specification agreed in conjunction with the artist. The artist also provided the handrail for the steps and arm rests in a similar style.
Landscaping
Imported topsoil dressing to embankment seeded with wildflower meadow mix.
Planting of 23no. mixed species standard trees – to be done with involvement of
local community representatives during planting season