Dundee-based Nicoll Russell Studios has won a £1 million contract after winning a competition to design a visitor centre for the Helix Project, a country park near Falkirk.

The £41 million scheme will use 300ha of land between Falkirk and Grangemouth to provide a park, cycle network, woodland and cultural attractions.

These attractions include the Kelpies, two 30m-high sculptures in the shape of horses heads.

In addition to the visitor centre, Nicoll Russell’s proposals include creating a public space within one of the horses’ heads.

The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland, which ran the competition, said the designs were chosen for their use of light, space and strength of visual elements.

Brian Moore, director of RIAS Consultancy said: “We were looking for a practice whose designs best met the objectives of the wider project and which would deliver an architecturally outstanding but realistic proposal within the given budget.”