Urban Realm Winter issue 40

VOL9 ISSUE40 WINTER 2019

AB E R DE E N ART GALLERY: CULTURE WARS

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I F TO AN ES

This decadal issue of Urban Realm marks not only a transition to the 2020’s but also the tenth anniversary of our rebranding from Prospect magazine.

To mark the occasion our 40th we’ve journeyed back to past winners of our Carbuncle awards to see what (if any) difference our campaigning has made on the ground.

Continuing the decimal theme we also unveil our annual UR100 (pg 18) compilation, a celebration of all that has been built and achieved over the past year, the true importance of whcih often isn’t apparent until properly collated.

While we cast an eye to the future it is also important to remember the past, an approach embodied by two newly completed museums. We travel to Aberdeen Museum & Art Gallery (pg 13) and the Jim Clark Motorsport Museum (pg 64) to find out more.

This fusion of the past and present continues with a look at Classical Edinburgh (pg 88), a photographic exhibition uniting two photographers, fifty years apart in the form of Colin McLean and Edwin Smith.

Elsewhere we delve into the thorny twin issues of social housing (pg 38) and retirement living (pg 44).

Two longstanding issues which have confounded policy makers but which now show signs of progress.

For good measure we also focus on the rapidly advancing technology (pg 82), a revolution which continues to overhaul the design processin surprising ways.

IIt has been a busy but rewarding year and I cannot wait to see what the next ten years will bring.

John Glenday, editor

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CONT ENTS QUARTERLY DIGEST 13 ABERDEEN ART GALLERY 18 UR100 38 COUNCIL HOUSING 44 RETIREMENT HOUSING 52 SHEFFIELD 58 CARBUNCLE AWARDS 64 JIM CLARK MOTORSPORT MUSEUM 70 EXPERIENCE EDINBURGH 76 DESIGN REVIEW 82 DIGITAL MODELLING 88 CLASSICAL EDINBURGH 96 DIRECTORY 97 PRODUCTS 04

Cover image: Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museums by Aberdeen City Council

OUR EDITORIAL PANEL INCLUDES:

John Glenday

Mark Chalmers, architecture writer and photographer

Leslie Howson, director Urban Design

Thea McMillan, director, Chambers McMillan

Jonathan Reeve, architect, Voigt Partnership

Keri Monaghan, architect, Stallan-Brand

Alistair Scott, director, Smith Scott Mullan

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INCORPORATING PROSPECT

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Editor John Glenday Design & Production Amanda Dewar Advertising Manager Katarzyna Uliasz, Senior Media Account Manager John Hughes Web Manager Aleks Bochniak

Urban Relam is the property of Urban Realm Ltd. The publishers, authors and printers cannot accept liability for errors or omissions. Any transparencies or artwork will be accepted at owner’s risk. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the copyright holder and publisher, application for which should be made to the publisher. Printed by Stephens & George Magazines. © Urban Realm Limited 2019 ISSN 2044-7345 Published by Urban Realm Limited, 2G Garnet Court, Glasgow G4 9NT Tel: 0141 356 5333 Fax: 0141 559 6050

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Q U A R T E R L Y D I G E S T O C T

TRIANGLE TRIO Drum Property Group and Halliday Fraser Munro have extended their relationship at Leith Walk with plans to develop a major mixed student and mainstream residential project on a triangular plot occupied by a nine-

BRIEFS storey office block at 151 London Road, Edinburgh.

Three new buildings will stand behind a 6m setback with trees and planting helping to buffer heavy traffic on the arterial route.

Eildon Housing Association and Collective Architecture have won an appeal to the Scottish Government to build 69 affordable homes at Coopersknowe, Galashiels, overturning an earlier refusal by Scottish Borders Council.

The reversal follows concerns that the planned inclusion of three colony blocks instead of previously approved homes would be ‘overbearing’ to existing cottages, clearing the way for completion by spring 2022.

Glasgow City Council has opened another consultation into the future of George Square one year on from a similar initiative inviting opinion on whether the public space should be pedestrianised.

With a soon to be completed Queen Street Station revamp focusing minds officials are keen to revisit the city’s premier public space to establish whether and how the urban focal point should change in response to future priorities.

RIVERFRONT VISION

TOWNHOUSE TEED UP

St Andrew’s Cathedral could stand as the focal point of a new public square in Glasgow as depicted in the latest visualisation illustrating a planned transformation of the city’s waterfront.

Glasgow City Council is leading efforts to reimagine Custom House Quay as a signature events space, overhauling the north bank of the River Clyde between Victoria Bridge and Glasgow Bridge with a mix of homes, leisure outlets and a hotel from spring 2022.

Sutherland Hussey Harris have filed plans for four townhouses in St Andrews overlooking the famous Old Course.

Each 210sq/m property will be finished in handmade clay bricks with the upmarket properties making the most of coastal views with expansive glazing and terraces.

The commission follows a limited design competition organised by the owners of an existing 1960s home on the site.

URBAN REALM WINTER 2019 URBANREALM.COM

Dundee City Council has published its latest plans to continue a programme of waterfront regeneration with plans to create a new public space.

Waterfront Place is being spearheaded by Optimised Environments with Holmes Miller overseeing the design of an active travel hub, to establish a focal point for outdoor activities through provision of a beach, Inspired by coastal forms the landscape would connect Slessor Gardens with the V&A Dundee.

Marshall Construction has been named as principle contractor for a major £11.25m development in Dunfermline town centre on the site of the former Pilmuir Works.

The Linen Quarter obtained planning consent from Fife Council in March with work already underway on phase one

by Byzantian Developments and jmarchitects, including re-use of the last A-listed linen works.

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Q U A R T E R L Y O C T D I G E S T ALBANY PARK

MUSEUM SCHOOL

BRIEFS

The University of St Andrews and Campus Living Villages have formally applied for planning consent to build a revised student campus at Albany Park.

Overseen by Hadfield Cawkwell Davidson the latest plans take into account ecological and flood risk concerns previously raised by Fife Council against the scheme while still delivering 900 bedrooms.

A key element of the masterplan will be a new facilities building along the seafront which will adopt the form of a series of gable end features extending from a retained element of the existing Woodburn Complex.

A refurbished Woodburn House will double as a main entrance.

An historic school on the Isle of Lewis has begun a new life as a centre of local history following an £810k transformation at the hands of Bard Architects and Neil Mackay & Co. Comunn Eachdraidh Nis occupies the former Cross School buildings which date back to 1879 and had at one time been threatened with partial demolition before the local historical society took ownership.

Mast Architects are leading the design of 128 flats on the site of a former Scottish Power depot at Hawick Street, Yoker, on behalf of CCG. Comprising four separate blocks at the junction with Dumbarton Road the scheme seeks to establish a strong urban frontage while reinforcing existing cycle and pedestrian connections.

Adopting the principles of ‘Designing Places’ the internal spaces between buildings given over to informal gardens with planted beds creating ‘defensible’ spaces.

PEEBLES PLAN The Borders town of Peebles is to benefit from the addition of 22 new affordable homes in the form of two separate blocks of flats on land off Dukehaugh.

Tweedbridge Court is the brainchild of Eildon Housing Association which aims to replace a derelict sheltered housing complex on the south bank of the River Tweed with linear riverfront apartments designed by Camerons Architects.

MARYHILL LOCKS Bigg Regeneration has completed the fourth phase of its Maryhill Locks masterplan with the release of 33 townhouses on Lochgilp Street.

Built by CCG to designs by jmarchitects where the homes form a

new urban block centred on a ‘hidden garden. Finished predominantly in brick the properties are scaled to maximise river and canal views with private terraces set back from the building line to make the most of its setting.

Holmes Miller has submitted a planning application for the creation of a new educational campus for West Dunbartonshire Council, on behalf of Morgan Sindall.

To be built next year on the current Renton Primary School site, the new campus will include a new school, a language & communication Unit and a new Riverside Early Learning and Childcare Centre (ELCC).

Architectural historian Charles Jencks has passed away at the age of 80 at his home in London.

A renowned landscape designer, theorist and co-founder of the cancer charity Maggie’s Jencks is the author of several best-selling books including The Language of Post-Modern Architecture, The Universe in the Landscape and The Architecture of Hope. Plans are underway to convert Jencks’ London home into an archive museum called ‘The Cosmic House’ which will be opened to the public by appointment.

Mosaic Architecture + Design has unveiled Glasgow’s newest purpose-built student residences following completion of a 301bed block sandwiched between the B-listed Piping Centre and A-listed Scottish Ambulance building in Cowcaddens.

Led by Soller Real Estate, Base Glasgow has been developed for the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

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Q U A R T E R L Y D I G E S T N O V

PARKHEAD AHEAD

BRIEFS Inverness is to play host to a new 210-bed hotel after councillors voted to approve the venture for the site of a decked car park off Rose Street.

Designed by CRGP the development will include a dedicated ‘urban street’ to the nearby bus station with the ground floor given over to either office or retail use with Hampton

by Hilton occupying the upper floors.

Hypostyle Architects have drawn up plans for 254 homes on brownfield land off the Gallowgate in the heart of Glasgow’s east end.

Spearheaded by the Wheatley Group Calton Village will comprise a mix of three-storey townhouses and apartments finished in a variety of facing brick and composite weatherboarding spread across three separate phases.

BAM Construction and Hoskins Architects are to build Scotland’s largest health centre at Parkhead next summer, following their appointment by Hub West Scotland.

North East Health Centre will rise on

Salamanca Street, drawing together 900 healthcare professionals working for NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde and Glasgow Health & Social Care Partnership who are currently dispersed across nine separate sites.

BRUTAL STOREY

PAISLEY PATTERN

Historic Environment Scotland has awarded B-listed status to a brutalist car park at the foot of Edinburgh Castle in recognition of its innovative construction.

Dating from 1966 Castle Terrace Car Park is considered to be the earliest example of modern multi-storey construction in the country and has been praised for its sleek deference to its surroundings.

Renfrewshire Council has lifted the lid on a new cultural facility with confirmation it will pursue a £2.8m cultural hub within The Paisley Arts Centre.

In-house designs detail a new extension and public space to augment its offer as an entertainment venue while retaining an intimate atmosphere. The venue will close its doors next summer to allow the work to be carried out.

URBAN REALM WINTER 2019 URBANREALM.COM

NHS Lothian and East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership have taken possession of the Keppie designed East Lothian Community Hospital in Haddington ahead of a full migration of patients over the next few months.

Glasgow is to receive 18 new serviced apartments under plans drawn up by Mosaic Architecture + Design for an unlisted former city centre pub.

A planning application has been filed by Big Top Productions to demolish Annie Millers on the corner of Ropework Lane and Metropole Lane with the aim of furthering the city centre lanes strategy.

The Ross Development Trust have published fresh images of a high-profile reimaging of Edinburgh’s Princes Street Gardens as an events space ahead of an expected planning application in March.

The £25m initiative would see the current Ross Bandstand replaced by a 6,000-seat amphitheatre.

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Q U A R T E R L Y N O V D I G E S T CANDLERIGGS CITADEL

WALLED GARDEN

BRIEFS

Drum Property Group has published the first detailed indications of their plans for a long-standing gap-site on Glasgow’s Merchant City following the latest round of public consultations.

Candleriggs Square is now helmed

by Stallan-Brand Architects and differs from previous consents by pushing taller buildings back from the street corners to create a citadel-like agglomeration of homes, hotels and commercial space.

Hillcrest Homes, recently rebranded from Hillcrest Housing Association, has taken possession of a distinctive development 47 affordable homes abutting a walled garden following their handover by Hart Builders, EMA and Cruden.

The £5m development utilises a historic brick boundary at Edmonstone Walled Garden, incorporating the structure as its gable with newly inserted windows permitting light to pass through.

Glasgow City Council has embarked on an ambitious masterplan which seeks to set out a roadmap for the city’s evolution over the coming three decades, with people placed front and centre of the vision.

A raft of ambitious goals are laid out in consultation documents including an upgrade of High Street Station in anticipation of it forming a northern terminus for the UK high-speed rail network and the transformation of King Street Car Park into a significant new public space.

Beer brand Innis & Gunn has detailed its vision for a major new Edinburgh brewery with the launch of a £3m crowdfunding campaign to help make the vision a reality.

Described as the largest brewery to be built in the city for 150 years the CDA Group design is earmarked for an as-yetunspecified location and will bring all aspects of production from fermentation to packaging in house.

TECH HUB

Ayrshire Housing has filed plans for the final element of a 25-year masterplan to rejuvenate redundant dockland and barracks in the town of Ayr, with an application to build 40 flats.

South Harbour Street is being taken forward by Page\Park who have been commissioned to deliver twin residential blocks around a shared landscape car park, inspired by the surviving look-out post of the nearby Citadel.

Wilson+ Gunn have unveiled plans for a waterfront technology hub at Edinburgh Marina providing office and co-working space for related occupiers.

Intended to sit at the heart of a vibrant

new High Street at West Harbour Road the hub will incorporate break-out spaces, an events space, cafe, shops and restaurants in response to growing occupier demand in the city.

Caledon Property Group has shown their hand at Glasgow’s Trongate with proposals to demolish a disused bank in order to allow the formation of a 157 room apart-hotel rising to 12 storeys.

Adjoining the planned Candleriggs Square the project is being overseen by Mosaic Architecture & Design to respect an A-listed neighbour while reinforcing the ‘urban wall’ of the street below.

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Q U A R T E R L Y D I G E S T D E C

GREEN BRIDGE Perth & Kinross Council with engineering consultancy Sweco, have formalised plans for a new Cross Tay Link Road with the submission of plans for a new road link spanning the River Tay. Comprising a new river crossing and

BRIEFS an associated link road the £118m scheme emphasises ‘place-making’ through the provision of park and cycle facilities on stopped up sections of the A9 with a 3m wide shared surface promoting active travel along its length.

Custom Build Homes alongside a local landowner have set out their vision for ten detached custom-build homes on the edge of Millerhill Village, Midlothian, as part of the wider Shawfair development.

Located on the site of a vacant restaurant the 1 acre development will allow prospective purchasers to customise the layout, specification and thermal efficiency of each home by choosing from a range of 27 different configurations.

Glasgow City Council planners have lent their consent to the partial demolition of a historic B-listed Dennistoun school to enable the delivery of 18 homes.

The work would see Barony Homes with Jewitt & Wilkie Architects retain the façade of the disused Golfhill Primary while building a new build element to the rear. A former janitors house will also be converted into a standalone home.

BIG BUSINESS

RIVER WALL

The University of Glasgow has progressed plans for a Hassell designed business school in addition to a post-graduate teaching hub to serve as a southern gateway to the broader Western Campus masterplan.

Situated on the site of the former Western Infirmary the 11,500sq/m facility will sit behind a reconstituted stone articulated frame with bronze aluminium and glazing.

A prominent waterfront site in Glasgow has been earmarked for a 150-bed Holiday Inn hotel by Pacific Quay Developments.

The £18m development has been designed by Mosaic to sit on the south bank of the River Clyde and will include conferencing and co-working space alongside a seventh floor skybar, catering for visitors to the nearby Scottish Events Campus.

Glasgow City Council has unveiled a raft of measures designed to double the city centre population to 40,000 over the next 15 years as part of its draft City Centre Living Strategy.

A consultation will explore how best to increase density, encourage development and improve amenity through initiatives such as repurposing vacant upper floor commercial space and opening up the River Clyde to development.

Stirling’s Raploch district is all set for change under a masterplan drawn up by ADP on behalf of Caledon | TDL for a disconnected city centre site.

Orchard Village is conceived as two distinct elements with Unum Partnership handlingr the design of a care home for Northcare (Scotland) while Wellwood Leslie Architects take the reins of a student village led by Scape Homes.

URBAN REALM WINTER 2019 URBANREALM.COM

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Q U A R T E R L Y D E C D I G E S T MANUFACTURING BLUEPRINT

EDINBURGH ARENA

Renfrewshire Council is in receipt of a planning application from HLM for the £65m National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) within the fledgling Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District.

The carbon neutral facility will be operated by the University of Strathclyde as a fully digitised factory of the future and will include an on-site skills academy.

Edinburgh is set to welcome an 8,000seat indoor arena at Straiton under plans brought forward by Lothian Leisure Development (LLD) with the NEC Group.

Outline designs for the arena have been drawn up by Nick Brown Architects with HarrisonStevens and BuroHappold for a mixed-use leisure and entertainment park on 30 acres of land on the city fringe.

BRIEFS Moxon Architects have won an invited competition to design a timber bridge over the River Eyach at Balingen, Germany, in collaboration with engineers Ingenieurbüro Miebach.

The oblique crossing won the unanimous support of judges in praise of its sympathetic relationship with the riverbank and will serve as the focal point for the upcoming BadenWürtemberg Garden Show in 2023.

Moda Living has obtained planning consent from the City of Edinburgh Council to progress the final phase of its £215m Springside development in Edinburgh.

A total of 139 build to rent homes designed by CDA will be delivered in a six-storey block overlooking Dundee Street and Drysdale Road which also includes a ground floor lounge and co-working space.

DUNBAR BEAR Sculptor Andy Scott has paid tribute to naturalist John Muir with the unveiling of a dramatic 5m tall steel bear in his hometown of Dunbar, East Lothian.

Rising from a wildflower garden the striking piece dominates the Spott Roundabout off the A1 and doubles as a signifier of the wider Hallhill development, which will ultimately deliver 1,200 new homes set amidst 56 acres of woodland.

Built from welded steel plates fabricated to be thicker at the base to provide structural integrity the sculpture will be accessible to visitors via a walkway.

Sundial Properties and Michael Laird Architects have held a public exhibition detailing mixed use plans for the redevelopment of a former gasworks at the junction of Baltic and Constitution Street, Leith.

Promoting the social good aspect of their scheme Sundial promise to gift 18 new build apartments adjacent to the A-listed Corn Exchange to a local charity and have vowed to support local entrepreneurs by blocking national retail chains from moving into four shop units.

The Egyptian Halls in Glasgow have been recognised as being among the seven most endangered buildings in Europe after finding itself on an ignominious shortlist of 14 at risk buildings compiled by heritage organisation Europa Nostra.

Draped in scaffolding for the past decade the A-listed landmark was designed by Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson.

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ABERDEEN ART GALLERY JOHN GLENDAY

ABERDEEN HAS RAMPED UP EFFORTS TO BOLSTER ITS CULTURAL CACHE WITH THE REOPENING OF THE CITY’S ART GALLERY FOLLOWING A £24.6M REDEVELOPMENT AT THE HANDS OF HOSKINS ARCHITECTS. HAS THE CITY SUCCESSFULLY SWITCHED FROM OIL TO OIL PAINTING? IMAGES BY GILLIAN HAYES AND GUS MACLEOD.

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ABERDEEN ART GALLERY

Left - Hoskins have taken the gallery onwards and upwards Right - The War Memorial is now an integral part of the gallery experience with visitors able to step out into the city skyline and touch its copper dome

Aberdeen Art Gallery is once again at the heart of cultural life in the north east following an extensive £34.6m redevelopment of the A-listed building at the hands of Hoskins Architects. Billed as the biggest transformation in the gallery’s 130-year history the work has seen the cultural space augmented with additional display capacity, principally via a scalloped copper-clad secondfloor extension.

The expanded floor space accommodates additional exhibition and education capacity together with improved visitor facilities, wayfinding and circulation. Behind the scenes functionality has been greatly improved with new environmental controls, storage and staff spaces that are contained within a newly built ‘backpack’. In all this has facilitated an increase in the number of galleries from 11 to 19 with a commensurate increase in the permanent collection from 370 to 1,080 items.

Founded in 1873 the art gallery saw growth spurts between 1885 and 1926 however by 2009 the gallery no longer met the needs of visitors or of the collection, prompting the appointment of Hoskins Architects to undertake a radical programme of repair and additions. On hand to usher an expectant media around the treasures of the granite gallery.

Nick van Jonker, director of Hoskins Architects, said: “For 50 years the gallery design was led by A Marshall McKenzie who planned the original rooms but also extended and revised the URBAN REALM WINTER 2019 URBANREALM.COM

complex. That left us with an interesting moment where lots worked well but lots worked poorly.

“There is a clarity as to what is new and what is old. We describe it as a creative repair, it’s not an act of undoing mistakes. We’ve moved a staircase and established axes which weren’t in the original building and we reinstated axes which were lost in the second phase but it isn’t clear what our role was and what relates to the past. We love that. It feels coherent but it’s an assemblage by dozens of figures over a century. It’s a complex history and all the more interesting for it.”

The most obvious changes take place not at ground level but above with the brave removal of the entire roof to allow an extension to rise from the existing granite walls. This has enabled the creation of temporary exhibition spaces with natural lighting as well as providing a café and public roof terrace to capitalise on the rooftop vista.

Meanwhile, a glazed roof now floods the Sculpture Court with light while doubling as a thermal stack; part of a natural ventilation strategy with concealed automated vents drawing air from the gallery spaces below.

Standing within this dramatic new rooftop space Van Jonker added: “The oval is where the laylight was, we are standing in what was the old pitched roof. The front range was cluttered with a staircase, shops and cafes. We’ve had to clear out all that stuff, improve facilities and visitor orientation. When

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Jura Consultants commissioned a visitor survey they found that the majority didn’t make it off the ground floor, they could see that there were higher galleries but they didn’t know where the staircase was. By the time you’re in the sculpture court it’s already behind you and by the time you’ve found it again you’re exhausted.

To remedy this state of affairs a cantilevered staircase finished in grey timber is driven through a slot formed on the edge of the sculpture court, connecting all levels to create an instantly legible gallery circuit, which now, for the first time, includes the War Memorial and Remembrance Hall. Van Jonker said: “We were studying how to insert a new staircase, partly to reach the new level but also to improve wayfinding. This wall is completely new but we hope as you walk around it’s not obvious. The new floor is practically a new building but down below is exactly as it was in 1904. It should be apparent where surgery has been carried out. The stairs are cantilevered out.

Much of the new building is built on the top of the existing walls but there are a few moments where structure has to come all the way down for wind stability and bracing. Most of that hard work is done by this enormous concrete wall which carries down to the foundations with the roof and stairs hung off it.”

The rooftop extension deepens the interplay of elements by establishing a direct dialogue with the Remembrance Hall dome through its angular plan form and darting roofline which have

been carefully calibrated in key views from nearby streets and from across Union Terrace Gardens, to establish a constantly shifting presence. Van Jonker added: “We have a new dialogue with that dome, which previously had nothing to do with the experience of the art gallery and museum but was the image of the building to the city. We’re delighted that you can now get out there and touch the dome and move around it in an entirely new way.

There are not many institutions who co-locate their Remembrance Hall with a chamber music hall and a museum and art gallery. But being co-located was about all you could say, they happened to share an address.” Describing the Remembrance Hall as ‘a room that you walked into and shuffled out of ’, Van Jonker was mindful of the need to improve access without compromising the qualities which made it such a powerful space. “Its acoustics are astonishing, but it wasn’t a connected part of the campus, even the temperature is different. There was a delicate balance between bringing it into the life of the institution without pretending it’s a gallery.

It plays an important role in the hierarchy and together with the Sculpture Gallery comprise the principle multi-storey spaces. You can now orientate yourself. We were determined that this would tie two axes together across two levels and be comfortable to move through. The balcony was too short but it’s now a viable and programmable piece of the campus.” >

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ABERDEEN ART GALLERY

Left - A glazed roof floods the Sculpture Court with light and doubles as a thermal stack Right - Narrow walkways are newly enlarged and blocked off doorways have been reinstated to improve visitor flow

Helen Fothergill added: “One of the issues we had with the building was dead ends. Visitors had to retrace their steps and find their way back. Doorways had been blocked up since the 50s. It meant visitors were unable to come down. The architects original vision was for this to sit on a four-way axis and what Hoskins has done is return it to the architects original intent as an area that can be accessed on both levels from four different directions. It also opens up a balcony area to the music hall which had been closed to wheelchair users since the 80s.”

While the new build elements have a commanding presence the changes elsewhere are no less important, with many of the most vital additions taking place behind the scenes.

Christine Rew, manager of Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museums explained: “In our traditional galleries you won’t see the interventions. We’ve tried to keep the feel of those galleries. “ Commenting on how this was achieved Fothergill added: URBAN REALM WINTER 2019 URBANREALM.COM

“The natural ventilation scheme sees air drawn in through window hoppers on the ground floors, we have humidifiers throughout the building and underfloor heating in the gallery spaces which drives air up through the central column and out through vents in the lantern. We rely on that for environmental control in all our collection galleries. In the temporary exhibition galleries, we have full heating, ventilation and air conditioning.

The North east of Scotland is particularly dry believe it or not.”

Van Jonker added: “Initial studies looked at the viability of full air conditioning, but it would have been catastrophically damaging to the galleries. The running costs and capital costs would have been crazy, and the envelope upgrades required to make it airtight were not viable. This is a cold city and the killer moment is when you have loads of people densely packed inside while it’s very cold outside. You need to let lots of air through to control CO2 levels and as the air is very cold and dry,

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you need to humidify it. Natural systems need to be calibrated but they’re much more robust, there’s a lot less to break.”

Grey timber ‘portals’ at every point of transition and axis serve more than just an aesthetic and wayfinding role with van Jonker pointing out that each threshold ‘works incredibly hard”.

“They serve the fire strategy, improve art handling and facilitate the humidification process to preserve the gallery spaces themselves,” he adds.

The opportunity was also taken to apply 95% UV filters on all glazing together with light reducing and full blackout blinds while access has been greatly improved through addition of one of the largest lifts in the country. “We had to take the roof off the old lift to get a Titian in,” Fothergill recalls.

Away from large-scale interventions a number of lower key changes help bed the old with the new including revamped lighting design, achieved in collaboration with Speirs & Major

and the creation of valuable additional wall space by plastering over the lower half of rear courtyard windows, enabling these to serve as the principle air intake for the natural ventilation strategy. Only the upper portion of these windows remain as clerestory glazing.

More importantly the gallery can now serve as an oasis of calm amid the commercial imperatives of the city around it, representing the physical and emotional heart of the city in a way the original building never quite achieved. Van Jonker joked that the gallery, one of the foremost institutions in the country, had previously had to advertise itself with a sign at the end of the road to alert passers-by to its existence. Not anymore, “The roof is the sign!” he exclaims. By building on what has gone before the revitalised gallery hasn’t just raised its game but now has a presence which commands attention. With this achievement the city itself can hold its head high.

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UR100

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CENTURY

CLUB

ANOTHER YEAR BRINGS ANOTHER HUNDRED BEST PRACTICES TO THE FORE BUT WHO ARE THE RUNNERS, RIDERS AND RISERS OF 2019? WE’VE CRUNCHED THE NUMBERS TO BRING YOU THE DEFINITIVE COUNTDOWN OF WHO HAS DONE MOST TO SHAPE OUR BUILT ENVIRONMENT FOR THE BETTER, DETAILING THE YEAR’S STANDOUT PROJECTS ALONG THE WAY. LET BATTLE COMMENCE!

Left - The Balfour Hospital in Kirkwall has modernised care ocross Orkney Right - Keppie cut a dash in Aberdeen with The Event Complex

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Keppie Design No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 44 Staff Total (Scotland): 110

Peter Moran Managing Director What will your practice be remembered for in 2019?

‘Remembered’ is perhaps the wrong word. It infers that we’ve passed – or are about to pass – into memory. What we’d like to be acknowledged for from 2019 is the diversity, scale and quality of the projects we completed during this year.

Who or what inspires you most?

Andy Murray. For his creativity, drive, determination, resilience and humility. All attributes we’d like to think Keppie demonstrate in our work and relationships with clients and colleagues.

How do you differentiate yourself from competitors?

Our differentiation lies in our market and sector spread. While there are competitors who excel in specific sectors, I don’t believe there is anyone else in Scotland doing that regularly in multiple sectors and both domestically and overseas. >

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jmarchitects No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 41 Staff Total (Scotland): 60

Henry McKeown Design Director What will your practice be remembered for in 2019?

That depends on who’s doing the remembering!

Completing the Market Street Hotel in Edinburgh and the New Gorbals Health and Care Centre are projects that we are proud of and both have been well received by our peers.

Our housing project at St Andrew’s Drive for Southside Housing Association has created a new typological model for social housing in the city and taken social housing to a new level and our award winning housing for ‘Igloo’ in Maryhill is an excellent example of affordable housing that takes full advantage of its wonderful context.

Is there anything the profession must change or improve?

I think we all have a moral duty to reflect on the state of our world and to think how we in this profession should be reconsidering our practice and how to increase our knowledge base in relation to how we design buildings more responsibly, more meaningfully, with clients who are like-minded and building contractors who share in the necessity to build more sustainable architecture. I think this needs to be a cultural shift as opposed to a mere shake up of good practice.

In addition, I think if we could all individually improve our knowledge base as architects and conscientious citizens, we will build a better world.

Above & Below- St Andrew’s Drive extends the historic grain of Pollokshields with jmarchitects delivering a sequence of ‘urban villas’ around well defined gardens including retained mature trees.

ALL IMAGES © GILLIAN HAYES

What can Scotland teach the world?

I had the pleasure of being a judge for this year’s Doolan Awards. We made site visits all around Scotland. It was a two day road trip, the weather was perfect, the Scottish landscape was stunning and all seven projects were of the highest design standards. We underestimate the quality of the good architecture we do in Scotland. I am not sure we can teach the world about how good architecture is done, but we could showcase our best work, more often and with much more confidence particularly in the context of the stunning landscape of this beautiful country.

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© 3DREID / DALGETY DESIGN

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Above - New Fountainbridge by 3DReid brings a mix of accommodation and public realm to the Union Canal Right - Primark’s flagship Birmingham store proves there’s still life in the High Street

© DANIEL SHEARING PHOTOGRAPHY

3DReid No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 26 Staff Total (Scotland): 56 Chris Dobson Director What will your practice be remembered for in 2019?

In the face of anticipated uncertainty and potentially turbulent market conditions, we have been heartened to see our projects diversify across sectors and scale.

From significant residential developments, in the form of our work for Vastint at New Fountainbridge and a new 15Ha masterplan in Cardiff, to continued recognition in the challenging retail sector, high profile hotels such as Gleneagles at St Andrew Square, characterful Old Town office proposals, new community-focused initiatives and work exploring designs for later-life.

This, coupled with a continued drive to enhance our design profile, as recognised in a successful year of awards, is hugely encouraging and we look forward to continue pushing forward on all fronts.

Who or what inspires you most?

Speaking with my other hat on, as Co-Producer of the Architecture Fringe, the energy and activity at grassroots level within the profession has been a brilliant thing to be exposed to and to help provide a broader platform for.

There is a tangible hunger within the existing student body and amongst recent graduates to collectively improve our industry and the wider built environment. And, increasingly, a desire to remain in the country in contributing towards this.

We are fortunate to have been able to employ some of this emerging talent in our practice and I’m really excited to see where they drive things.

What can Scotland teach the world?

With geographical good fortune, in the form of plentiful natural resource to harness in the creation of renewable energy, coupled with legislation such as the Community Empowerment Act and the abolishment of Right to Buy, Scotland stands well placed to set a trajectory for a more socially equal, sustainable and low carbon future.

As Local Authority and Government initiatives coalesce around this, the reform and recalibration of our own professional association presents an opportune moment in which we can come together as an architectural community, for the benefit of all, as we emerge from more fractious times. I’m an optimist at heart. >

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CDA

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 38 Staff Total (Scotland): 75 05

Collective Architecture

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 22 Staff Total (Scotland): 51 06

Cooper Cromar

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 27 Staff Total (Scotland): 56 07

Simpson & Brown

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 20 Staff Total (Scotland): 44 08

NORR Consultants

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 30 Staff Total (Scotland): 59 09

Michael Laird Architects

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 25 Staff Total (Scotland): 56 10

LDN

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 28 Staff Total (Scotland): 38 11

Page\Park Architects

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 24 Staff Total (Scotland): 35 12

MAST Architects

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 30 Staff Total (Scotland): 59 David Denholm Director What will your Practice be remembered for in 2019?

In terms of projects MAST will be remembered in 2019 for breaking ground in the regeneration of Queens Quay at Clydebank, the successful private residential development at Riverford Gardens in the southside of Glasgow for CCG Homes, a royal visit from Princess Anne to our conversion of Coatbridge Library and the completion of Scotland’s tallest and highly innovative cross laminated timber structure in Yoker. Many of these projects, amongst others, were recognised in industry awards. Internally, the Practice undertook a restructure of management and improvement of processes that we call ‘One Approach’, with the aim of increased efficiencies, enhanced client service and making MAST an exceptional place to work.

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Top - Mast converted the B-listed former Carnegie Library to 12 flats Bottom - The library is held as an exemplar of collaborative regeneration

How do you differentiate yourself from competitors?

We believe our USP is our people and their enthusiasm and commitment to making a difference. Everyone, regardless of their role in the Practice, shares a common purpose and works every day in accordance with our values; People First, Sustainability, Creativity and Quality.

Where do you hope to be in the next decade?

In 2030 we hope that we are recognised as an exceptional Practice in terms of our work and as a place to work, continue to be an industry leader assisting our clients and partners in delivering new and improved innovative homes for communities throughout Scotland and that, as part of our sustained growth, our passion for design and quality of service has been recognised and established in commercial sectors that we have not focussed on historically. Finally, as a reflection of our commitment to our colleagues, we hope to a have achieved the highest level of Investors In People.

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Reiach and Hall Architects

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 20 Staff Total (Scotland): 29

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Buchanan Wharf by Stallan-Brand will single-handedly transform Glasgow’s Tradeston from abandoned dock to prime real estate

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Stallan-Brand Architecture + Design

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 19 Staff Total (Scotland): 29 Paul Stallan Design Director

What will your practice be remembered for in 2019?

2019 has seen Stallan-Brand champion the development framework for the Tradeston area of Glasgow including leading on the architectural design. The practice is playing a central role in the complete transformation of the Clyde Place waterfront environment which includes Barclay’s new European headquarters, two iconic residential towers and significant new public space. In addition the studio is renovating two historic buildings and designing a new early years crèche building that promises to be small but architecturally memorable! The Tradeston regeneration initiative builds on Stallan-Brand’s masterplanning work for in adjacent Laurieston area.

Is there anything the profession must change or improve?

The profession must play a lead role in addressing our climate emergency. Increasingly, our children are asking questions of our natural and built environment stimulated by their progressive school curriculum and cultural interests that positively encourage good citizenship, sustainability and community. We

are experiencing a growing awareness of the planets limited resources and the need to consider new forms of urban living that are better connected, healthier and happier. Critically, the public are more aware of what is possible in the once institutionalised world of urban regeneration and architecture, the tacit acceptance of top down political dictate that our grandparents experienced is gone. Watch this space for ... a generational tsunami of positivity and activism.

How do you differentiate yourself from competitors?

By being ... fitter, happier, more productive, comfortable, not drinking too much, regular exercise at the gym, three days a week and getting on with contemporaries. Being at ease, eating well, no more microwave dinners and saturated fats. Trying to be a patient better driver, having a safer car. Sleeping well, no bad dreams, no paranoia. Caring for animals, never washing spiders down the plughole. By keeping in contact with old friends, enjoying a drink now and then. Joining a moral bank, enjoying favours for favours, committing to charitable standing orders on Sunday’s. Not killing moths or putting boiling water on the ants. Washing car on Sunday’s. No longer being afraid of the dark. Living at a better pace, slower and more calculated. Being an empowered and informed member of society, pragmatic not ideal. Not crying in public. No longer being empty and frantic.

Like a cat. Tied to a stick. Being calm, fitter, healthier and more productive. Like a pig in a cage on antibiotics. >

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The India Buildings on Edinburgh’s Cowgate sees ICA combine the rehabilitation of three ‘at risk’ listed buildings with considered new build elements while improving through flow and opening up new vistas

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ICA

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 21 Staff Total (Scotland): 54 Nicholas Roberts Design Associate What will your practice be remembered for in 2019?

Our India Buildings development in Edinburgh started building work following extensive archaeological digs throughout 2018. The development was always going to be a challenge on numerous fronts – not only is it located on Cowgate in the heart of the UNESCO World Heritage site that is the Old Town, but it also involved working with a complex of three individually Listed Buildings. Whilst we were prepared for this challenge in design terms, nothing could have prepared us for what came next…it was the vacant plot at the heart of the site that made national news. From our desktop site analysis, we knew that there was a development history stretching right back as far as the maps’ archives would go. Even so, it was staggering to uncover evidence of buildings and human occupation spanning almost 1000 years (the earliest recorded buildings anywhere in the city outside the Castle). Plus, the presence of a 13th Century cannonball (possibly from a siege of Edinburgh Castle) and let’s not forget the discovery of a 16th Century human skull.

The site became a literal cross-section though Scottish History and has the potential to change the current understanding of Edinburgh’s settlement, which is fascinating.

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Is there anything the profession must change or improve?

Our fundamental attitude towards our finite resources must be reconsidered. Most of us operate in a commercial setting where we specify materials which are sourced in a global context.

This was brought sharply into focus for us when we recently started design work on the new Bird Observatory building on the Fair Isle (replacing one lost to fire earlier in the year).

This remote location, with limited transport options and short, weather dependant construction windows has forced us to think creatively about what materials and systems we specify. We are focussed on meeting the clients’ aspirations whilst ensuring that what we bring to the island must be appropriate and functional, and in doing so create a durable and resilient building in this most inhospitable of climates.

Who or what inspires you most?

I am inspired by the contexts we work in, be it the remote Fair Isle, a recent site visit to the Turks & Caicos Islands in the Caribbean, Glasgow – where I live and work – or London which is a global hub for hotel design and where we meet with really interesting and creative hoteliers and investors. All of these places are constantly evolving and require us to adjust and reanalyse our relationships to our natural and built environment.

Our villages, towns and cities represent mankind’s most complex and potentially enduring achievement – we must find a way to revaluate and continuously analyse our place within them whilst appreciating the impact we are having on our planet and the ability to survive and thrive for the next 1000 years.

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Kettle Collective

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 21 Staff Total (Scotland): 42 17

Moxon Architects

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 4 Staff Total (Scotland): 5 Ben Addy Managing Director Is there anything the profession must change or improve?

One of the most attractive aspects of the profession (and indeed an architectural education) is the exposure it brings to diverse contexts, disciplines, ideas and ways of working.

Diversity is a strength and something that has huge potential in enabling architects (or those who studied architecture) to be well positioned to operate across those different contexts and disciplines. Of course this is not an altogether new idea; the architect/developer being a well understood mode of practice (for instance); however the opportunities for an even more ambitiously multivalent practice are there and I believe bring significant potential for intellectual and commercial advantage.

How do you differentiate yourself from competitors?

There is often a tendency to demand specialism in practice – whether in cultural work, infrastructure, commercial development and so on – when the specialism we all have is in design. The synthesis of function, aesthetics, material and assembly is something that we all pursue and so it is not easy to differentiate in a profound way (as opposed to stylistically, or in respect of certain tools or techniques – aspects where every practice, and every architect, is unique). Instead we strive to make the point that it is skill in this synthesising

process that is important, rather than, necessarily, past experience in a given type.

Where do you hope to be in the next decade?

Personally, I would say Scotland - liberally interspersed with London - and with the practice operating multi-nationally across a broad range of milieux.

Below - The Cairngorms National Park HQ defers to retained historic structures Above - A precision Cross Laminated Timber structure is readable throughout after Moxon ensured timber was left exposed internally

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© ANDREW LEE

© ANDREW LEE

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Left - Quarry Road by Anderson Bell + Christie offers office space in the heart of Irvine for business start-ups Right - Flexible open plan office space is provided

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Anderson Bell + Christie

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 25 Staff Total (Scotland): 38 Jonathan McQuillan Director What will your practice be remembered for in 2019?

This year we have become an Employee Owned Business.

By widening ownership of our business to our employees we have secured the future of Anderson Bell Christie. We have collectively shaped our vision, to ensure that the business delivers for the employee owners and the communities which we serve.

We are currently completing our 25th early years centre and are continuing with our commitment to community led projects with our recently completed Ochiltree Community Hub. Doune Health Centre – based around dementia-friendly design principles – has received a commendation for design excellence from Health Facilities Scotland and our affordable housing at Laurieston has received an Award from CIH Scotland.

Who or what inspires you most?

We are inspired by the people who use the buildings we design. We use a wide range of co-design techniques in order to understand and then realise their ambitions. Our successful dialogue with building users has helped us to develop innovative design processes. These are derived from arts-led initiatives, collaborative design workshops and charrettes with clients, contractors and building users.

We are responding to the Climate Emergency and are researching and developing net zero carbon solutions over a URBAN REALM WINTER 2019 URBANREALM.COM

wide range of sectors, utilising joint research we are carrying out with Glasgow School of Art. We are committed to innovation through research and development and look forward to the testing phase of two prototype ventilation systems commencing in the new year.

How do you differentiate yourself from competitors?

Our focus on research and development has allowed us to create innovative housing solutions in response to the Scottish Government’s Housing to 2040 initiatives – from neighbourhoods designed to facilitate intergenerational living which are accessible and dementia friendly, through net carbon energy efficient energy systems for affordable homes, to incorporating technologically enabled care solutions to allow older people to stay in their own homes for longer.

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Hoskins Architects

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 22 Staff Total (Scotland): 33 20

Hypostyle Architects

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 20 Staff Total (Scotland): 37 Ryan Young Associate Is there anything the profession must change or improve?

The profession must address the way architectural services and The Architectural Profession are undervalued. There are three aspects to this 1. Good architectural design and how it shapes society is generally ignored by clients. 2. The skills and

BOTH IMAGES © 2017 ASHLEY COOMBES EPIC SCOTLAND LTD

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Above - Hypostyle’s Clydeside Distillery brings Scotch Whisky production to the heart of Glasgow Below - The visitor experience was an integral part of the finished design which includes exhibition, education and promotional spaces

responsibility of individual Architects is attributed little value by those who commission buildings despite the inordinate liability faced. 3. Fee levels are being driven down and despite the increase in the scope of services being provided and increase in liability.

Architects must take back the high moral ground in the construction industry.

Who or what inspires you most?

This year inspiration has come from: Goldsmith Street, whereby a housing project wins the RIBA Stirling Prize. Inspiration also comes from reflecting on the work to two great Architects who passed away: Ted Cullinan, & Robert Venturi.

Where do you hope to be in the next decade?

Hypostyle hope to continue providing a professional service to our clients and designing quality buildings which fully respect the environment. We also hope to have established a varied portfolio of work with successfully completed commissions and new areas of expertise.

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HLM Architects

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 10 Staff Total (Scotland): 31 22

Threesixty Architecture

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 18 Staff Total (Scotland): 39

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Lee Boyd

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 6 Staff Total (Scotland): 11 24

Elder and Cannon

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 9 Staff Total (Scotland): 15 25

7N Architects

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 15 Staff Total (Scotland): 22

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HTA Design

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 9 Staff Total (Scotland): 32 27

EMA Architects

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 9 Staff Total (Scotland): 21 28

Ryder Architecture

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 7 Staff Total (Scotland): 13 29

Sheppard Robson

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 16 Staff Total (Scotland): 24 30

Bracewell Stirling Consulting

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 8 Staff Total (Scotland): 28 31

Dualchas Architects

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 10 Staff Total (Scotland): 14 32

Mosaic Architecture and Design

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 10 Staff Total (Scotland): 20 33

Smith Scott Mullan Associates

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 16 Staff Total (Scotland): 26 34

Austin-Smith:Lord

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 9 Staff Total (Scotland): 19 35

Scott Brownrigg

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 7 Staff Total (Scotland): 13 36

AHR Architects

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 7 Staff Total (Scotland): 12 37

Bennetts Associates

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 9 Staff Total (Scotland): 12 38

Nicoll Russell Studios

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 14 Staff Total (Scotland): 29

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Trail Architects

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 4 Staff Total (Scotland): 8 40

McGinlay Bell

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 3 Staff Total (Scotland): 7 41

LBA

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 6 Staff Total (Scotland): 16 42

Aitken Turnbull Architects

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 5 Staff Total (Scotland): 26 Alasdair Rankin Managing Director

Is there anything the profession must change or improve?

We must re-engage with the public and wider commissioning bodies, to help shed the perception that architects are merely an expensive add-on to a project. As a profession, we provide genuine value to projects and we have to find ways of demonstrating this to potential clients.

Who or what inspires you most?

The ability of chefs like Massimo Bottura to build and run teams who can combine creativity with consistency and delivery under pressure.

Sailor Sir Ben Ainslie in his pursuit of perfection, and ability to operate on the very edge of what most of us consider possible.

Norman Foster for his continued relevance evolving the practice over the last 50 years , longevity and apparently endless energy.

How do you differentiate yourself from competitors?

There’s no secret recipe - we believe in simply listening and understanding our clients; detailed review of sites and requirements; focussing on delivering excellence at every stage and a wider interest in the environments we create and inhabit makes us visible in a crowded market.

We are designers to our core, but we understand that successful projects are about more than creativity. We balance our design expertise with a strong heritage and a thirst to innovate. We look back on over 130 years of our own projects and learn from them, while looking forward to an exciting future.

We always aim to exceed expectations and push boundaries, but never lose our sense of pragmatism and honesty. We raise the bar when it matters most, helping us maintain long-term relationships, built on trust, passion, creativity, diligence.

BOTH IMAGES © MICHAEL FRANKE

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Above - The Macmillan Health & Wellbeing Campus at Altnagelvin Hospital by Aitken Turnbull is the first integrated health & wellbeing campus in Northern Ireland Below - Internally the campus provides a host of open, light and welcoming spaces

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ARPL Architects

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 4 Staff Total (Scotland): 8 44

Rural Design

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 9 Staff Total (Scotland): 17 45

Helen Lucas Architects

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 10 Staff Total (Scotland): 14 46

Arka Architects

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 3 Staff Total (Scotland): 7 47

Denizen Works

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 1 Staff Total (Scotland): 1 48

Somner Macdonald Architects

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 4 Staff Total (Scotland): 5

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Hackland + Dore Architects

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 7 Staff Total (Scotland): 9 50

Morgan McDonnell Architecture

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 9 Staff Total (Scotland): 14 51

IDP Architects

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 5 Staff Total (Scotland): 11 52

reynolds architecture

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 3 Staff Total (Scotland): 5 53

Arc Architects

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 3 Staff Total (Scotland): 4

HAUS-Collective

Murray Henderson Director What will your practice be remembered for in 2019?

2019 has been a milestone year for HAUS. We are finally seeing our vision and the results of all the hard work we have put in coming to life, with three major projects reaching completion. When we set up the practice we were determined not to be be pigeon-holed in terms of the type or scale of our work, nor did we want to be known for a specific approach. The transformation of our ideas into reality across these projects demonstrates the diversity and talent of our studio team across a variety of scales, sectors and locations: TrägerHAUS, a single private dwelling in Glasgow; Angel Gardens, a mixed-use PRS tower in Manchester; and Canley UniVillage, a student housing village in Coventry.

How do you differentiate yourself from competitors?

A key aspect of the practice is that we don’t want to be seen as niche. We approach all projects with the same attitude, centred on the importance of ‘experience’, both through using the experience of our clients to provide solutions that meet their needs, and by firmly focusing on the perceptions and experiences of building users. Critical to this is our shared studio culture and the centrality of taking an innovative approach to design, including creating the space and environment where people feel free to explore their passions through innovative problem solving.

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© MATTHEW DALRYMPLE

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No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 7 Staff Total (Scotland): 14

Left - Angel Gardens sees Haus and Moda Living take Manchester to new heights with this striking tower, which also harbours a ‘hidden garden’ Right - Glasgow’s Govanhill district is the subject for 49 affordable homes by George Buchanan Architects and Southside Housing Association, bringing sustainable living to a disused garage

Where do you hope to be in the next decade?

As a progressive and ambitious practice, we are currently developing a medium-term strategy to internationalise – initially by launching a HAUS New York studio, which has always been our ambition. In a short period of time, the practice has expanded from two Founding Directors to a diverse team of fourteen people, with a wide ranging portfolio of projects, that belies the commercial pressures we have had to endure, as ‘new kids on the block’ compared with larger, longer established practices. With both Directors of the practice having previously worked internationally, there is appetite to extend the reach of our studio.

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Fletcher Joseph Associates

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 9 Staff Total (Scotland): 19

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John Gilbert Architects

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 10 Staff Total (Scotland): 17 57

ECD Architects

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 7 Staff Total (Scotland): 12 58

LMA Architects

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 4 Staff Total (Scotland): 16 59

DTA Chartered Architects

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 3 Staff Total (Scotland): 8 60

Ingram Architecture & Design

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 4 Staff Total (Scotland): 6 61

Capital A Architecture

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 1 Staff Total (Scotland): 1

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George Buchanan Architects

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 4 Staff Total (Scotland): 5 George Buchanan Director

Is there anything the profession must change or improve?

We must champion the role of the architect at the heart of the design and procurement process. Too often we have slipped into a sub-contractor role with very little clout. The profession needs to be positive and promote the value we bring.

How do you differentiate yourself from competitors?

Our strong office culture sets us apart. Defined by our shared values, it is the DNA of the practice and drives our decision making, actions and recruitment. This has resulted in a positive, collaborative and fun working environment. Our Core Values are: Friendly: We love what we do and work together with our clients to achieve the best result for every project Professional: We act fairly, honestly and with integrity Creative: We seek creative solutions to every challenge >

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Bell Ingram Design

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 5 Staff Total (Scotland): 9 69

Fergus Purdie Architects

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 2 Staff Total (Scotland): 5 70

McKenzie Strickland Associates

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 4 Staff Total (Scotland): 11 71

Jon Frullani Architect

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 3 Staff Total (Scotland): 12 72

Jewitt & Wilkie Architects

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 8 Staff Total (Scotland): 12 Low parking provision and generous cycle storage discourage car use

Where do you hope to be in the next decade?

In the next decade, we shall seek to grow, whilst maintaining our strong office culture. We’ll continue our drive to improve all aspects of the business.

We have established a strong reputation in the residential sector and will seek to build on this, progressing to larger projects and onto other sectors.

Above all, our hope is to continue to love what we do!

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Allan Corfield Architects

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 5 Staff Total (Scotland): 12 64

Andrew Black Design

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 3 Staff Total (Scotland): 6 65

James F Stephen Architects

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 7 Staff Total (Scotland): 17 66

WT Architecture

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 6 Staff Total (Scotland): 9 67

Denholm Partnership

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 4 Staff Total (Scotland): 12

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Voigt Architects

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 1 Staff Total (Scotland): 5 74

Gray Macpherson Architects

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 2 Staff Total (Scotland): 3 75

Camerons

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 7 Staff Total (Scotland): 12 76

ann nisbet studio

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 1 Staff Total (Scotland): 4 77

Stuart Davidson Architecture

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 1 Staff Total (Scotland): 3 78

JAMstudio

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 1 Staff Total (Scotland): 3 79

John Kinsley Architects

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 1 Staff Total (Scotland): 1 80

Organic Architects

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 3 Staff Total (Scotland): 6

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David Blaikie Architects

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 3 Staff Total (Scotland): 5 82

block 9 Architects

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 6 Staff Total (Scotland): 8 83

ZMARCHITECTURE

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 4 Staff Total (Scotland): 11 84

Thomson Hunter Architects

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 4 Staff Total (Scotland): 11 85

Brunton Design Studio

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 4 Staff Total (Scotland): 8 86

:thatstudio

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 1 Staff Total (Scotland): 3 87

Axis Mason

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 3 Staff Total (Scotland): 9 88

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Douglas Strachan Architect

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 2 Staff Total (Scotland): 5

icecream architecture

95

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 0 Staff Total (Scotland): 9 96

CD Architects

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 1 Staff Total (Scotland): 6

Thorne Wyness Architects

97

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 2 Staff Total (Scotland): 2 98

Ewan Cameron Architects

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 1 Staff Total (Scotland): 2 99

McGregor Bowes

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 1 Staff Total (Scotland): 1 100

Craig Amy Architect

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 1 Staff Total (Scotland): 1

DO-Architecture

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 4 Staff Total (Scotland): 6 89

Graeme Nicholls Architects

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 1 Staff Total (Scotland): 1 90

Kerry Smith Architects

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 3 Staff Total (Scotland): 7 91

Loader & Monteith Architects

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 3 Staff Total (Scotland): 5 92

O’DonnellBrown

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 3 Staff Total (Scotland): 5 93

HYVE Architects

No. of qualified architects (in Scotland): 3 Staff Total (Scotland): 5

Methodology 1. Efficiency points weight: <40 000 GBP fees income/head

10

<50 000 GBP fees income/head

20

<60 000 GBP fees income/head

30

<70 000 GBP fees income/head

40

>70 000 GBP fees income/head

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2. Staff points: Staff points have weight 1:1 3. Qualified architects points Qualified architects points have weight 1:2 4 Awards points including the following schemes: RIAS awards RBA awards SDA awards Awards weight 1:10

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YOU’VE SEEN AND HEARD EVERYTHING OUR TOP PRACTICES HAVE TO OFFER BUT WHAT WILL THE YEARS STILL TO COME HAVE TO OFFER? GET IN TOUCH WITH OUR FEATURED TEAMS FOR A ONE-TO-ONE DISCUSSION ON HOW TO GET YOUR OWN PROJECT OUT OF THE GROUND.

Aitken Turnbull Architects 3DReid 45 West Nile Street, Glasgow G1 2PT Tel: 0345 271 6350 Email:glasgow@3DReid.com 36 North Castle Street, Edinburgh EH2 3BN Tel: 0345 271 6300 Email: edinburgh@3DReid.com Web: www.3DReid.com Twitter: @3_D_Reid Year of Incorporation: 2005 Number of staff (in Scotland): 56 Practice statement: 3DReid is a creative architecture and interior design studio specialising in the design and delivery of complex new build and refurbishment projects. Our cross sector experience includes Airports, Culture & Community, Education, Hotels, Industrial, Leisure, Offices, Residential, Retail and Urban Regeneration. Our team of over 130 people is located across five UK studios, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham and London. By sharing our knowledge across disciplines we provide a robust and versatile service bringing national and international expertise on a local scale, enabling us to deliver innovative design solutions in any sector we work in. We are great collaborators, internally within our studios and externally with clients, consultants, contractors and developers. We enjoy working with ambitious partners and engaging with stakeholders and the wider community.

Recent projects and awards: AHEAD Awards Global 2019 • Ochil House at Gleneagles, Event Space Winner Revo Gold Awards 2019 • Primark Birmingham, Re:purpose Winner • Primark Birmingham, ‘Best of the Best’ Re:turn Winner • intu Lakeside Leisure, Re:lax Winner Scottish Design Awards 2019 • Avonbridge URC, Chairman’s Award for Architecture Winner • Avonbridge URC, Low cost project schemes under £200k Winner • Thistle Garden Rooms, Future Building Project Winner • Hotel Indigo Manchester, Interior Design Highly Commended Scottish Property Awards 2019 • The Combworks Aberdeen, Student Accommodation Development of the Year Finalist List of services Architectural Design, Interior Design, Masterplanning and Urban Regeneration

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5 Castle Terrace, Edinburgh 9 Bridge Place, Galashiels 32 George Street, Dumfries Tel: 0131 297 2350 Email: admin@aitken-turnbull.co.uk Web: www.aitken-turnbull.co.uk Twitter: @AitkenTurnbull Year of Incorporation: 1961 Number of staff: 26 Aitken Turnbull is an award-winning multi-sector practice. We successfully deliver projects in health, commercial, leisure, education, residential and civic, across the UK. We focus on creating buildings and environments which enhance lives and communities and our success comes from truly understanding our clients and their chosen sites – their priorities are our priorities.

Recent Projects: UK Government Hub, New Waverley, Edinburgh Murray House Dementia Care Home, Kelso Macmillan Health & Wellbeing Campus, Altnagelvin Hospital

anderson bell + christie Anderson Bell Christie 382 Great Western Road, Glasgow, G4 9HT Tel: 0141 339 1515 Email: gen@andersonbellchristie.com Web: www.andersonbellchristie.com Twitter: @andersonbellchr Year of Incorporation: 1991 Number of staff: 39 Anderson Bell Christie has consistently delivered creative design solutions throughout Scotland and the north of England for over 25 years. We offer a full architectural service on a diverse range of projects, and our professional, enthusiastic approach has led to satisfied clients and award-winning buildings.

Recent Projects & Awards: Residential: • Major new affordable housing developments for City of Edinburgh Council at Sighthill and Greendykes, Edinburgh.

• Affordable housing for RSLs at Fielden Street, Holmlea and Wallacewell Quadrant, Glasgow.

• A new Lifetime Neighbourhood incorporating housing for mid-market rent for the Gannochy Trust.

• Award winning student accommodation at Havannah House.

Healthcare: • A major new health centre at Queens Quay Clydebank Health Centre.

• Award-winning Doune Health Centre.

Community: • Ochiltree Community Hub and Quarry Road Business Incubator – in Ayrshire.

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Education: • Early Years Nurseries for City of Edinburgh Council and East Ayrshire Council.

Awards: • Havannah House - Student Accommodation Development of the Year, Scottish Property Awards 2019.

• Doune Healthcentre - Highly commended in the design excellence award at the Scottish Health & Social Care Facilities Conference 2019.

• Crookston, Glasgow - Extension to B-Listed Property • Glenacre Street, Castlemilk - Affordable Residential Development • Allison Street, Govanhill - Affordable Residential Development • Orr Street, Calton - Affordable Residential Development • Clifford Street, Ibrox - Affordable Residential Development

Hypostyle Architects 49 St Vincent Crescent, Glasgow, G3 8NG Tel: 0141 204 4441 Email: glasgow@hypostyle.co.uk Web: www.hypostyle.co.uk Year of Incorporation: 1985 Number of staff: 37

elder & cannon architects Email: mail@elder-cannon.co.uk Web: www.elder-cannon.co.uk Tel: 0141 204 1833 Number of architects: 9 (Scotland) Number of staff: 15 (Scotland) Practice Statement: Elder and Cannon are a leading architectural practice with a portfolio of high profile projects and a reputation for innovation and high quality work within a wide range of building types.

We specialise in a number of sectors including Conservation, Housing, Education, Commercial and Masterplanning, winning national awards in each category.

Services Provided: Full Architectural Services including Conservation Accreditation.

George Buchanan Architects Maryhill Burgh Halls 10-24 Gairbraid Avenue Glasgow G20 8YE Tel: 0141 946 2433 Email: studio@georgebuchananarchitects.com Web: www.georgebuchananarchitects.com Twitter: @GBArchitectsLtd Year of Incorporation: 2014 Number of Architects: 4 Number of total staff: 5 George Buchanan Architects is a dynamic, design-driven architectural practice, based in Glasgow. We have extensive experience in various sectors, including Residential, Affordable Housing, Commercial, Education and Domestic. Passionate about design, we love producing practical solutions, exceeding expectations and maximising value.

A thorough, professional service, delivered by a creative, friendly team.

Recent Projects: • Westbourne Gardens, Glasgow – Extension to A-Listed Property • Hamilton Drive, Glasgow – Extension to C-Listed Property • Kelvindale, Glasgow – Residential Development • Ruchill Hospital, Glasgow – Residential Development

HAUS Collective 30 Bell Street, Glasgow Tel: 0141 552 8558 Email: studio@haus-collective.com Web: www.haus-collective.com Twitter: @HAUS_Collective Year of Incorporation: 2013 Number of staff: 14 HAUS was established through the pursuit of ‘idea’, a desire to design and create, to learn and educate, influence and enjoy, a studio of innovation. Our approach provides clients with direct access to leadership, with hands-on management supported by an experienced team and project management structure. Our goal is not to do business with everybody who needs what we have, nor hire people who just need a job; but to invest in people who believe what we believe. Through the pursuit of idea and innovation, we believe that our architecture can contribute on many levels, by addressing social, environmental, cultural and economic issues while enhancing human experience.

Recent Projects & Awards: • Canley UniVillage, Coventry • TrägerHAUS, Glasgow The Sunday Times British Home Awards 2019 Shortlisted RIAS Award for Scotland 2019 Shortlisted RIAS 2020 Visions: Home: Housing Scotland 2000-2020 • Angel Gardens, Manchester Scottish Design Awards 2019 Future Building Shortlisted

The right design in the right context. That’s what we’re about at Hypostyle. No set style. No forced ideology.

No preconceived ideas. Just solutions to client needs.

Multi-disciplinary, contemporary and progressive, we can call on more than 30 years of experience across many different sectors.

Recent Projects & Awards: Lord Provost Henry E Rae Community Centre • ASA (Aberdeen Society of Architects) Design Awards 2018 • Commendation in the Public Realm & Landscaping category Toryglen Phase 1 GHA • Herald Property Awards Affordable Housing Development of the Year 2016 St Julie’s Croftfoot, Glasgow Housing Association • Scottish Home Awards Sustainable Development of the year 2015 • Herald Property Awards Affordable Housing Development 2015 Fore Street, Whiteinch & Scotstoun Housing Association • RIAS AWARD 2012 • SALTIRE AWARD 2012 - Small Affordable Housing Development of the Year • Scottish Design Awards 2012 - Affordable Housing • Scottish Design Awards 2012 - Regeneration Commendation • Scottish Home Awards 2012 - Architectural Excellence Award • Scottish Home Awards 2012 - Small Affordable Housing Development of the Year • Shortlisted for the Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award 2012 Scottish Sustainable Communities Initiative (SSCI) Exemplar projects • Maryhill Locks • Wauchope Square North Fort Street Edinburgh for Places for People • Saltire Society Shortlisted 2008 Miller Street, Hamilton for Clyde Valley Housing Association • Saltire Society Commendation 2007 • GIA Design Commendation 2007 • GIA Design Commendation for Sustainability 2007 • RICS highly commended Regeneration Awards 2007 Older awards: • RTPI Award 2005 for housing at Crown Street and Queen Elizabeth Square, Gorbals

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ICA Merchant Exchange, 20 Bell Street, Glasgow G1 1LG Tel: +44 (0) 141 552 2194 Email: info@weareica.com Web: weareica.com Twitter: @weareica Year of Incorporation: 2003 Number of staff: 55 Qualified architects in Scotland: 21 We are ICA: a studio of Architects & Interior Designers based in Glasgow. Founded in 2003 we have established an international reputation in the hotel sector. Today we bring the same combination of design excellence, technical expertise and business acumen that built our reputation in hotels to other sectors. ICA’s approach creates buildings that are efficient, commercially aware and responsive to context and end user experience.

jmarchitects

Keppie Design Ltd

Edinburgh: 64 Queen Street, Edinburgh, EH2 4NA Email: Edinburgh@jmarchitects.net Tel 0131 464 6100

160 West Regent Street, Glasgow, G2 4RL

Glasgow: 50 Bell Street, Glasgow, G1 1LQ Email: Glasgow@jmarchitects.net Tel: 0141 333 3920 Web: www.jmarchitects.net Twitter: @_jmarchitects Instagram: @jmarchitects Year of Incorporation: 1962 Number of staff:110 (57 between Edinburgh and Glasgow Studios) jmarchitects is an award winning design practice, portraying a broad range of expertise in a variety of sectors with a network of studios in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester and London. We champion design excellence and innovation, always striving to deliver creative, functional, sustainable and considered design solutions which satisfy, delight and inspire. Our talented staff are our strength, collaborating and evolving design approaches that respect the context and create economic and social value for our clients and the wider community.

Recent Projects and Awards: • Health Facilities Scotland - Design Excellence Award • Building Better Healthcare Awards - Award for Best Healthcare Development (UK) – Highly Commended • GIA Awards – Maryhill Locks – Winner • Education Building Awards, Architectural Practice of the Year – Winner • Dundee Civic Trust Awards – Hotel Indigo and Staybridge Suites - Commendation • Specifi Awards 2019, Edinburgh Project of the Year, Wallyford Primary School – Winner • AJ Architecture Awards 2019, Health & Wellbeing, New Gorbals Health & Care Centre – Winner • Brick Awards 2019, Urban Regeneration, New Gorbals Health & Care Centre – Commendation • National Housing Awards 2019 – Winner • Scottish Design Awards 2019, Education Building - Winner • Scottish Design Awards 2019, Future Building Winner • Scottish Design Awards 2019, Re-use of a Listed Building - Highly Commended • Scottish Design Awards 2019,Health Building Highly Commended • Scottish Design Awards 2019, Residential Project Highly Commended • EAA 2019, Ambassador Award – Winner • RIAS Awards 2019, Orchard Brae ASN – Shortlisted • BD Architect of the Year Awards 2019, Education Architect of the Year (Nursery – 6th Form)Winner • Civic Trust Awards 2019, Maggie’s St. Bart’s, London - Commendation

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Tel: 0141 204 0066 Email: glasgow@keppiedesign.co.uk Web: www.keppiedesign.co.uk Twitter: @Keppie_Design Year of Incorporation: 1995, established in 1854 Number of staff: 92 We’re fuelled by the excitement and curiosity of a recent start up yet were founded in 1854. It’s this combination of energy and experience to which we owe our success and resilience as architects. Our autonomy gives us the freedom to constantly adapt, break new ground and embrace transformational projects. Our global agility allows us to lead and collaborate on a fantastically diverse and inspiring portfolio near and far. We pride ourselves on being refreshingly easy people to work with. We’re in this together to design, plan and deliver remarkable, lifechanging buildings.

Recent Projects & Awards Civic Trust Awards • 16 Church Street - Historic Scotland Award for Conservation & Climate Change (Commendation) 2019 • Ballymena Health & Care Centre – Commendation 2017 British Council for Offices (BCO) Regional Awards • 16 Church Street – Corporate Workplace Award 2019 • 16 Church Street – Innovation Award 2019 • The Capitol – Best Commercial Workplace 2017 Glasgow Institute of Architects (GIA) Awards • 16 Church Street – Office/Commercial/Industrial/ Retail Category (Commendation) 2018 Scottish Property Awards • 16 Church Street – Regeneration Project of the Year 2019 Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Northern Ireland Awards • Ballymena Health & Care Centre – Winner 2017 Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Awards • 16 Church Street – Regeneration Project of the Year 2019 • The Capitol – Commercial Development of the Year 2017 Homes for Scotland Awards • Mansionhouse Road – Private Development of the Year (Commendation) 2019 Building Construction Authority Awards • Kampung Admiralty –BIM Award Gold Certificate 2017 • Kampung Admiralty – Green Mark Platinum Award 2017 • Assisi Hospice – Green Mark Platinum Award 2017 Council on Tall Buildings & Urban Habitats (CTBUH) Awards • Kampung Admiralty – Best Tall Mixed Use Building Award 2019 • Kampung Admiralty – Urban Habitat Award for Single-Site Scale 2019

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MAST Architects 51 St Vincent Crescent, Glasgow, G3 8NQ Tel: 0141 2216834 Email: mast@mastarchitects.co.uk Web: mastarchitects.co.uk Twitter: @mastarchitects Year of Incorporation: 2013 Number of staff: 59 With a talented team of 59 people, MAST is involved in projects throughout Scotland having developed expertise in new build private and public sector housing, community facilities, refurbishment, conversion, building conservation, EWI projects, offices, retail, sport, industrial, healthcare, feasibility studies, master-planning and access auditing. Our approach is firmly based on a passion for architectural design driven by the belief that it can have a profound and positive influence on people’s lives and community. We pride ourselves on our creative, innovative and pragmatic approach to design while listening carefully to our clients’ needs and always aiming to make a difference.

Recent Projects & Awards: Sweeney St / Sweeney Court, Ardrossan Cunninghame Housing Association Commendation - Affordable Housing Development of the Year Herald Property Awards Barbieston Road, Dalrymple East Ayrshire Council / CCG (Scotland) Ltd Winner - Best Housing Project Scottish Procurement Alliance Awards Ellerslie Road Phase 3, Glasgow Sanctuary Group / CCG (Scotland) Ltd Winner - Affordable Housing Development of the Year Structural Timber Awards (UK) Coatbridge Library Clyde Valley Housing Association Commendation - Affordable Housing Development of the Year Homes for Scotland Awards Coatbridge Library Clyde Valley Housing Association Winner - Best Renovation Project Scottish Home Awards Weirston Road, Kilwinning Cunninghame Housing Association Winner - Large Affordable Housing Development of the Year (Social Rent) Scottish Home Awards Riverford Gardens CCG (Scotland) Ltd Winner - Best Family Small Home Herald Property Awards

Moxon Architects Ltd

Stallan-Brand Architecture + Design

Ardoch, Crathie, Ballater, Aberdeenshire, AB35 5UN

80 Nicholson Street, Glasgow, G5 9ER

Tel: 01339 742047 Email: e.freeman@moxonarchitects.com Web: www.moxonarchitects.com Twitter: moxonarchitects Year of Incorporation: 2004 Number of staff: 16

Tel: 0141 258 5015 Email: info@stallanbrand.com Web: www.stallanbrand.com Twitter: @StallanBrand Year of Incorporation: 2012 Number of staff: 29

Our work combines design excellence, technical talent and a commitment to faultless delivery.

Founded in 2004, Moxon has since attracted major clients in a variety of sectors, from national rail providers to leading cultural institutions. Among them: Transport Scotland, Hauser & Wirth and the City of Westminster. The common threads are bold vision and versatility. We approach each project with fresh eyes, first understanding the needs and ambitions our client, and then striving to elevate them. The result is distinctly individual work, clear in its purpose and appropriate to its context. We pride ourselves on a diverse team that allows us to provide multi-disciplinary solutions for clients in any category – commercial, residential, product design, or public sector. Throughout, we stay committed to sustainability and beauty. Today, the practice is split across its two offices in West London and Highland Aberdeenshire.

Stallan-Brand Architecture + Design is an architectural practice based in Glasgow and owned

by Paul Stallan and Alistair Brand, architects who have worked together for over 20 years. Since our inception in 2012, our studio has rapidly developed, delivering a diverse range of architectural and design projects. We champion transformational design; an architectural approach that embraces dialogue and creative exchange. We have a strong belief in the need for flexible and innovative design, supportive of ever changing social and urban needs.

Recent Awards: • Scottish Design Awards Architectural Practice of the Year 2019 • Architects Journal Award Winner 2019 • BD Infrastructure Architect of the Year 2019 • RIAS / Forestry Commission Award 2019 • Aberdeen Society of Architects Design Award 2019 • AJ Small Projects Awards 2019 • Aberdeen Society of Architects Design Award 2018 • Scottish Design Awards - Chairman’s Award 2017 • RIAS / Forestry Commission Award 2017 • AJ Small Projects Awards 2017 • The Ian Shepherd Award 2016 • Aberdeenshire Design Awards (Distinction) 2016 • Cairngorms Design Awards 2016 • WAN Future Projects Awards 2016 • Structural Steel Design Awards 2015 • Structural Steel Design Awards 2013 Recent Projects • High Speed 2 • Cairngorms National Park HQ • Fife Arms Hotel • Somers Town Bridge

Recent Awards: RIAS Best Education Building in Scotland – Broomlands Primary School Recent Projects: • Candleriggs Square • Buchanan Wharf • Ness Castle Primary School • McLellan Works • Jedburgh Intergenerational Community Campus

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SOCIAL HOUSING MARIE DE BRYAS

A GOLDEN AGE ?

SOCIAL HOUSING IS ENJOYING SOMETHING OF A RENAISSANCE AS A NEW BREED OF PUBLIC HOUSING RESHAPES OUR CITIES BUT WILL TODAY’S BUILDINGS STAND THE TEST OF TIME? PART II ARCHITECTURE STUDENT MARIE DE BRYAS EXAMINES THE RECENT EVOLUTION OF THE SECTOR.

As we are celebrating the 100 years of the 1919 Addison Act, the first governmental incentive encouraging the construction of councils Houses across the UK, Scotland finds itself in a new turning point in defining what social housing looks like. The government’s goal of building 50,000 new affordable homes before the end of the parliamentary term is the highest since the 70s, and the latest reports account for good progress. However, as the challenges we face evolve, designers cannot recycle yesterday’s solutions. So how are architects facing the new problems of today and are we building at a sufficient quality to stand the test of time?

Scotland has a long track record of building affordable housing, dating all the way back to the 19th century, and is currently extending this heritage. But as the world is evolving, Architects are constantly asked to rethink the housing typology to face new challenges. The Scottish Government, along with ESALA, Collective Architecture, and Peak15, are in the process of organising “Housing to 2040”, a travelling exhibition that will set up a “conversation about how we can together plan for what we want our homes and communities to look and feel like in 2040”. As such, they highlight several new challenges that architects will face in the future. The main ones are the need to mitigate the impact of climate change through design and the all the consequences of Scotland’s ageing population. The latter causes designs to promote greater adaptability to allow living at home for longer, reducing the demand on health care. > URBAN REALM WINTER 2019 URBANREALM.COM

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The Anderston redevelopment by Collective Architecture re-establishes the historic street hierarchy. Image by Andrew Lee.

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RAINBOW GARDEN

MEMORIAL GARDEN AT HAZLEHEAD PARK, ABERDEEN

Aberdeen’s ‘Rainbow Garden’ was created to provide Aberdeen’s resident parents affected by the NHS Baby Ashes Scandal with a peaceful place for contemplation, to grieve and remember. The initial design premise was simply to provide both a unique and personal place for the parents, and a new public open space for general park visitors.

Due to the emotive nature of the proposed project, a comprehensive engagement process was initiated with the parents representatives to ensure that the parents were a guiding force behind the entire design process and their considerations greatly influenced the development of the project.

During the initial meetings, TGP interpreted the wishes of the Parent Group to developed the preferred option to fully express their thoughts, wishes and concerns, combining a ‘beautiful space’ with intimate components of particular relevance to the group.

The development from the initial three options, through preferred design and to detailed design was undertaken with regular engagement with the group to ensure the group continued their close involvement throughout the design and in addition and helped them select an artist whose work would fit into the garden.

The original site was already secluded and enclosed, a feature reinforced by new earth mounding and additional planting. The garden is oriented so that the space is progressively revealed in greater detail as users move into and around the space, with the most private areas only

Email: info@tgp.uk.com Web: www.tgp.uk.com

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discovered once the user has fully entered the garden.

The approach path to the garden is intentionally acute, so that the first view of the garden interior is revealed on entering the garden through the stone entrance gateway.

TGP added the feature entrance to the garden to signify arrival into a specific space, set apart from the wider park.

The access path continues from the gateway to form an ‘inner’ pathway, turning in on itself, to complete and enclose a central, circular area which is the formal concentration of the garden. The circular ‘yin-yang’ design is emphasised by one half being lawn with a central focus sculpture by Maja Quill, contrasting with the complementary half which features a softer, herb planted treatment.

A secondary path orbits around the central area, providing alcoves for 2-person arbour seats, with each seat nestled within the surrounding earth bund. This secondary path also provides access to the most intimate contemplation area, where the name plaques are located within a small circular space. The parents wished the garden to be accessible for all, whilst also requesting a peripheral, secluded area where modest name plaques could be fixed, providing them with a private and intimate space for contemplation.

All of the hard elements (including seats) have been bespoke designed and keep to a restricted palette, to ensure that complexity does not overpower the simplicity of the design. Even resin bound aggregate paths have been used to further soften the garden, with extensive use of dissected leaf and herbaceous plants.

SOCIAL HOUSING

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Colony-living has made a comeback at Leith Fort courtesy of Collective and Malcolm Fraser Architects. Image by Gillian Hayes.

When examining what is currently being built in Edinburgh, one can clearly see the shift of priorities that is happening in the housing sector. Some designs are finding elegant ways to address these issues.

In their new Leith Fort development, Collective Architecture (along with Malcolm Fraser Architects who obtained the planning permission for this project before they ceased trading) decided to update the historical typology of the Colony houses. This historical precedent allowed them to focus on accessibility and social diversity whilst respecting the siteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s identity.

Colony houses appeared in the second half the 19th century in Edinburgh and were originally built for artisans and skilled working-class families. Traditionally, a colony house would be divided into two flats, upper and lower, with a front door on opposite sides of the property, allowing both flats to have a font garden.

The Leith Fort development has reinterpreted the concept with a ground floor single storey flat and a 2-storey duplex apartment above it. As such, all of the ground floor flats (accounting for 50% of the housing) are accessible and barrier free.

Moreover, the compromise between density and amenity space ensures a dynamic neighbourhood. The design encourages interaction within the community thanks to a

shared green space as well as private garden layouts. By placing both gardens side by side, Collective Architecture ensured all gardens to be south facing and promote a dialogue above a shoulder height separating wall. On the other hand, the opposite front doors maintain a sense of ownership and privacy.

Collective Architecture and Malcolm Fraser Architects offer an elegant design and fully address the aging population issue highlighted by the Scottish Government.

Their reinterpretation of a historical typology proves to be relevant and will hopefully inspire other designs.

The project has gotten a lot of attention and received several prestigious prices, but is it a good representation of housing projects in Edinburgh? Or are we using the one successful project as a distraction from the other unsuccessful schemes?

The Edinburgh council is currently doing a lot to deliver enough housing. Through the â&#x20AC;&#x153;City of Edinburgh Council 21st Century Homesâ&#x20AC;?, the council is currently building numerous projects, and has committed to deliver 20,000 new homes within a decade.

This is possible partially thanks to the Small Site initiative, which encourages smaller disused land to be transformed back into productive use. This concerns the North and West of the City and has been in place since 2016. A few >

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developments have already gotten planning thanks to the program allowing redevelopments in old industrial areas to be easier.

Such strong commitments are to be celebrated. Shelter Scotland welcomed the Scottish government’s efforts, particularly the “funding suggestions on empty homes; reform of Right to Buy; streamlining regulation of private renting and commitments to security of tenure for tenants”.

Though, we must remember numbers are not the only issues we face.

It seems; however, the focus is not just put on quantity.

The “Homes fit for the 21st century” program, started in 2011 by the Scottish government, had ambitioned to also “improv[e] design and greater energy efficiency in housing”

by December 2020 in order “to reduce [Scotland’s] energy consumption by 12% and its greenhouse gas emissions by 42%”. A 2014 report shows that considerable progress has been made but needs to be continued.

The Craigmillar Town Centre development is very representative of the type of project built by the council. It uses a different set of solutions from the Leith Fort project.

Anderson Bell + Christie, on behalf of CCG and Edinburgh City Council’s 21st Century Homes obtained planning in February 2018 for the development of 194 new residential units.

The housing project is part of a bigger masterplan designed to transform the whole area particularly thanks to new retail, schools and housing. The housing scheme focusses on delivering a rich mix of different density, from terraced housing to four-storey blocks, which ensures a social diversity. The scheme is unified thanks to a simple material palette as well as corners markers, placed across the site to highlight key locations. In their Design and Access statement, the architects note that an emphasised was placed on “strong forms and massing”.

Unfortunately, this leads to a feeling of oversimplification of designs. The lack of architectural features on the facades reminds us of 1960s housing developments, known for having a tendency to feel very unpersonal to the residents which can cause feelings of detachment.

The dwellings are organised around shared car parking and semi-public pathways. This layout encourages overlooking to create passive surveillance, and thus is intended to prevent crime. However, the grassland feels anonymous and reminds us again of post-war developments.

The scheme relies on already tested solutions and is successful in delivering a high number of houses. However, it feels nostalgic and perhaps doesn’t project itself into the future enough. Aesthetically, the oversimplification of the architectural features, probably in an effort to reduce cost, makes the scheme unpersonal and not specific to its location.

Like the Craigmiller project, a lot of the developments from 21st Century Homes focus on achieving a social diversity whilst reducing crime. Although they are two important URBAN REALM WINTER 2019 URBANREALM.COM

issues, it falls short when projecting ahead at the problems our society will face.

Sadly, another consequence emerging from these designs is the growing feeling that a lot of development are starting to look the same. Three to Four storey, flat roof, brick buildings with large windows and limited architectural features seem to pop-up all around the city. From the Prestonfield to the Duddingston homes, or even the Calder Gardens development, the same project seems to get built over and over again across the city. It is a shame and architects should perhaps spend more time making projects specific to their location, similarly to what was done on the Leith Fort project.

It seems Edinburgh’s council is making a lot of effort in trying to resolve its housing crisis. The ambitious targets set are admirable and in the process of being met thanks to strong council initiatives and governmental incentives. Some projects offer innovative solutions to resolving the emerging problems of tomorrow. Accessible flexible housing and sustainable developments are the key to our issues but are sadly underbuilt. We must remain careful not to reproduce our past mistakes. By focussing too much on quantity, developers and council take the risk of creating soulless neighbourhoods and generic architecture.

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Left - The City of Edinburgh Councilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 21st Century Home initiative will deliver 20,000 homes in a decade Above - Urban Union with Barton Willmore have transformed the former St Johnstone Football Club grounds Below - Anderson Bell + Christie have obtained planning consent for 194 Craigmillar homes

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LATER LIVING JOHN GLENDAY

RE T I REMENT P L AN ABRUPT DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGE BODES SIGNIFICANT UPHEAVAL IN THE YEARS AHEAD AS THE COUNTRY GRAPPLES WITH A LOOMING CRISIS WORSENED BY INACTION. CAN A NEW BREED OF RETIREMENT COMMUNITIES MEET THE NEEDS OF THE OVER 55’S AND IF SO WHAT FORM SHOULD THEY TAKE? WE SPEAK TO SOME LEADING PLAYERS IN A FAST EVOLVING SECTOR.

As the frightening pace of demographic change threatens to upend existing models for the design and delivery of housing the need to contemplate our own mortality becomes more pressing than ever before. Urban Realm looks ahead to an uncertain future to establish what can be done now to ensure a good quality of life for us in our later years. We speak to the key architects of change within the sector to see what fresh thinking, approaches and solutions we can employ from rethinking the very idea of community to purpose-built accommodation which addresses the specific needs of the over-55s.

No talk of housing can ignore the ongoing ‘crisis’ engulfing the wider sector but does this present an opportunity for change or is it an insurmountable stumbling block? Fresh from steering a retirement village in Newton Mearns through planning Jon Jewitt, founder of Jewitt and Wilkie Architects, is keen to share his experience of the inertia in which the sector is becalmed. Asked what has to change Jewitt is unequivocal: “It’s got to be the politicians”, he says. “Local authorities are under so much pressure with their budgets that they literally can’t accommodate what we’re looking for. Why release land for retirement residential if it doesn’t give you the land value achieved by releasing land for mainstream housing. We’re already struggling to provide enough land for mainstream housing. Retirement residential isn’t sexy for local authorities, the demographic timebomb is going to go off. You really should be putting people in bungalows or fit for purpose flats, but you cannot get the land values.” > URBAN REALM WINTER 2019 URBANREALM.COM

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Assael have been working on a number of High Street later living ideas

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Left - Bracewell Stirling are pursuing a town centre first approach in Alloa with amenity rich housing Right - McCarthy & Stone’s withdrawal from the Scottish market has presented opportunities for others

Wilkie added: “The traditional providers of retirement housing look for very niche windfall sites but we’ve got to think more strategically. We’ve got to release land specifically for retirement residential. Land is so expensive that it’s very difficult to build these schemes, you can’t compete against volume housebuilders. People have come to us looking for a property in the west end where five couples say can live together and grow old with services on hand. They love the facilities and services but there will come a time when they have to move out to a care home.”

Of course, issues pertaining to the adequate supply of housing for older demographics cannot be detached from the acute shortage of land for mainstream homes, the delivery of which continues to elude politicians of all stripes. Is now the time to re-prioritise the allocation of sites to fast-track development? Gavin Lloyd, senior architect at Bracewell Stirling Consulting, offered his thoughts: “Most mainstream new-build housing tends not to provide as great a range of housing type and tenure as it should, (new developments are seldom ‘tenure blind’) and isn’t particularly flexible. The most successful communities are those where people of all ages and walks of life interact and become involved in their local neighbourhood. Prioritising land allocation is a more difficult question, however merely allocating a percentage for URBAN REALM WINTER 2019 URBANREALM.COM

affordable housing doesn’t appear to be adequate.”

In tandem with these external shifts our own personal priorities are beginning to change as Wilkie avers: “The perception was the family home gets passed onto the kids as inheritance whereas I now look at my home as something to pay for my old age”, says Wilkie. “There will come a point where we need to look at how we finance our retirement plans.

Is our pension alone going to see us through? Probably not because healthcare costs are going to soar. The healthcare industry is struggling to get people to work for minimum wage, there’s a rush to the bottom. Brexit isn’t helping either because the majority of people working are from Europe or the far east. McCarthy and Stone just pulled out of Scotland because they’re not making the returns they thought they would, there’s lower hanging fruit down south, which has left a void.”

To deliver a more empathetic approach Wilkie has a simple solution. “All you’ve got to do is think about ‘what do I want in my old age?’ he says. “The schemes that we’re designing at the moment are places where we can retreat into the comfort of a home which has been future-proofed and adapted for our dotage, where we can sit outside in a covered area and see our neighbours and feel like part of a community. It’s not about retreating into our little castles and isolating ourselves which is what we’re doing in the big estates that are going up. >

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Jewitt & Wilkie prioritise health & wellbeing at this planned retirement village in Newton Mearns

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LATER LIVING

Left - Urban sites can meet the twin goals of town centre regeneration and minimising loneliness Right - The potential of later living has thus far gone largely untapped by developers who remain focussed at the other end of our housing lifecycle

Loneliness is the biggest issue.”

One project which aims to embody these principles is a new housing estate in Alyth, near Perth, which puts the needs of older residents first. Wilkie said: “The project is, for want of a better expression, a fairly standard volume housebuilder scheme but with adaptions for dementia and ageing in place.

There is a care package with 24-hr support and an on-site care home with a dementia wing. There’s a nice village feel to it with a centre.”

The care home alone has a contract value of around £3m, a huge upfront investment with any profits lying years in the future. Wilkie added: “It’s a simpler proposition to build a house and sell it rather than bring in an operator and set up a management system that will provide facilities. People want to right-size rather than downsize and they want something which is fit for purpose and gives them an extension to their quality of life. We’re just not providing them with that option.

It’s frightening because without it we all face having to move into a care home” Russell Pedley, chair of ULI UK Residential Council and co-founder of Assael Architecture shares these concerns, warning that ’the perception of old people needs to change’ as a starting point for any reform, the opposite of our present URBAN REALM WINTER 2019 URBANREALM.COM

approach which too often sees retirement housing as a place where people go to die, not to live. What is needed most, Pedley argues, is a reduction in the number of rooms in favour of higher space standards and the introduction of new technologies such as full-body driers in showers – the antithesis of generic standardised specifications and layouts proffered by the market to date.

Pedley said: “One of the biggest design issues is reducing falls, especially after a shower. Visual awareness falls as sight deteriorates and more contrast is needed. It’s important we don’t build institutional homes, they must still feel like home.

The US is ahead by us by twenty years in build to rent. We need to see more intergenerational communities.”

Asked what needs to happen to deliver Later Living properties at scale Lloyd told Urban Realm: “I believe that we need to be looking at providing genuine ‘intergenerational living’, rather than specifically ‘later living at scale’. Of course, there are many social and demographic reasons why various social groups and ages may not always mix, however, if later living is provided insensitively, age segregation creates issues.

Many of the requirements of successful intergenerational living are to do with providing flexibility (such as non-structural partitions and designated future knock-out panels) and are

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relatively straightforward detail design decisions (power outlets and switches at the correct height, colour choice), or simply ensuring adequate public and private open space is available.”

Bracewell Stirling is in process of delivering 60 wheelchair and amenity flats for older people in Alloa town centre in a sign of rapidly evolving occupier expectations. The project illustrates how we can increase volume in the right locations without falling into the trap of playing a numbers game. But how do we make that call? Lloyd replies: “We need to diversify the housing on offer. Whilst not taking anything away from recent initiatives to improve the design and quality of specialist housing, most older people don’t live (and don’t want to live) in what is traditionally perceived as specialist housing.

Many would like to stay in the house they are living in, whilst others may want to downsize but wish to remain within their existing community. A wider range of housing options within developments and designing in more flexibility would allow older people greater choice. The answer isn’t simply building bungalows.”

Does Britain’s housing crisis make us an outlier internationally and how does our experience compare with those of our peers? “I would suggest that much of the current

mainstream housebuilding in Britain caters almost exclusively for specific demographic groups. Suburban developments target working families, who predominantly travel by car. City centre developments tend to target other specific groups. This approach does little to address divisions between generations.

I am aware of cohousing and intergenerational housing projects in Europe and the USA which appear to be successful and encourage spontaneous interaction, yet these models don’t seem to be considered in the UK. “British suburban development is continually being criticised for not providing the infrastructure to support new homes. However, making sure that these new neighbourhoods and the homes within them are suitable for as wide a demographic cross-section as possible, and are capable of coping with change, is just as important in creating successful communities.”

It’s said you should never let a good crisis go to waste and the scale of the challenge currently facing the industry is such that the opportunities are surely irresistable. As investors fall over themselves to back private rental and student flats those wishing to spend their golden years in comfort represent a golden opportunity for those astute enough to meet their needs.

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EXPERIENCE THE VIRTUAL REALITY OF NEW FACILITIES AT TMS

TMS’ newly completed Vitual Reality (VR) suite is available for architects’ in-house design reviews as well as bringing clients or others who want to understand the reality of proposals at any design stage. After talking with different practices, TMS realised there was a need for a centrally located facility that could be used for all types of projects; in effect sharing the set-up costs rather than each practice having to invest large amounts in their own facilities.

The suite is fitted with wireless state of the art VR technology, with TMS’ application specialists available to make sure the experience is set up to be as effective and immersive as possible. While standard 3D models and renders are beneficial, the experience of virtually walking around and through a building is now very close to the reality.

TMS have been at the forefront of helping practices adopt 3D modelling and BIM in Scotland for many years.

While this has helped increase the undersanding of projects, the ability to experience proposals as if they are real; moving through and around a building, takes this understanding to a new level. VR also allows ideas to be understood, agreed and signed off at a fraction of the cost and time it would take to produce standard presentations and models.

The ability to understand and convey ideas and proposals is a vital part of an architect’s skills. The more fully a design is understood by clients, end users and the design team, the more positive an impact it will have on the success of the project. Within the VR Suite, in addition to fully immersive Virtual and Augmented reality hardware, a large scale HD wall wash projector is also in addition to the VR

headset for group meetings with clients and others.

David Keith, director at Bracewell Stirling, one of the first practices to make use of the facility, found the experience transformative in helping his team test design ideas, and for the client to commit to design decisions.

David stated: “Using the VR Suite was an incredible experience. Being able to virtually feel how it will be to walk through the building is fantastic, and has a major impact on understanding design ideas. The ability to interact with the client and understading how different materials and lighting can affect a space in real time is a big help in understanding issues and how spaces will ultimately be experienced by the end user” Alex Lowe, managing director of TMS said: “The initial outlay in equipment can be significant, so making this available as a permanent facility to architects makes it much more accessible to practices. Feedback has been tremendous, and once VR is experienced, it’s difficult not to want to use it on as many projects as possible”.

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SHEFFIELD MARK CHALMERS

MARK CHALMERS CONTINUES HIS TOUR OF SINGLE INDUSTRY TOWNS WITH A VISIT TO SHEFFIELD AS HE RECORDS THE CITYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S FADING INDUSTRIAL LEGACY BEFORE IT IS LOST FOREVER. WE TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF THE KEY REGENERATION SCHEMES WHICH ARE SEEING A CITY ONCE FAMED FOR ITS STEEL FORGE AHEAD DURING A PERIOD OF RAPID URBAN REGENERATION.

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This regeneration site across the road from Albert Works shows the scale of change

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SHEFFIELD

Sheffield is a city in transition. Following the post-War building boom which created the Park Hill Flats, there were further waves of regeneration. The first broke in the 1980’s and as Britain’s steel industry shrank, Meadowhall shopping centre rose on the site of a former rolling mill. Like Braehead in Glasgow and the Metro Centre in Gateshead, a large brownfield site was transformed into an edge-of-town retail park.

A second wave followed soon after, but it’s typified by lightness of touch rather than scorched earth. Old factories in the inner city are being converted into offices, studios and workshops for the creative, cultural and digital economies.

Kelham Island is the best example realised in Sheffield to date, although Holbeck in Leeds and the Northern Quarter in Manchester are arguably more mature.

The second wave of regeneration attracted occupiers who value the character and authenticity of historic buildings.

Sometimes the building is the only tangible part of their business; architecture is solid and real, whereas their products are virtual and abstract. The footprint of heavy industry can be a positive attribute for software developers, design consultancies and digital branding firms.

Central Sheffield is bounded by a ring road, the River Don and Supertram lines, and three sites within that ambit demonstrate how the city’s transition continues today. Albert Works is home to Jaywing and lies on the southern edge. Eye Witness Works sits to the south-west in the Devonshire Quarter, and will soon be converted into housing. Cannon Brewery

stands at Neepsend, to the north, and its future sits in the balance.

By the early 2000’s, Albert Works in Sidney Street was the last cutlery forge in Sheffield, hot forging steel into knives and forks. It had barely changed over the previous half-century, and if you stood in the street outside you could hear its Massey hammers thumping away rhythmically. But Laurence Watson & Co., manufacturing silversmiths, went out of business a few years later, and Albert Works was bought by City Estates, one of the family-controlled property developers which once typified Sheffield.

Jaywing is one of the largest marketing agencies in the UK: it employs 200 in Leeds and another 100 in Sheffield. Having outgrown its old offices, a converted school in the Attercliffe area, Jaywing began searching for somewhere new. The agency’s chief creative director David Wood is evangelistic about Sheffield, and had already bought and regenerated an old cutlery factory at Kelham Island for his previous venture.

Although Albert Works wasn’t on the market – it was zoned for a bar and microbrewery – Wood realised that its industrial grit and a location five minutes from the railway station was ideal.

He wanted the building to retain an honesty and integrity which reflect Jaywing’s values, but also to fix the things that didn’t work in their old offices. City Estates grew frustrated at the time it took to evolve, but three-quarters of the way through the design process, the penny dropped.

Jaywing’s creative process often begins with analysis rather

Left - Cannon Brewery in Neepsend has run dry Middle - The brewery courtyard makes an apocalyptic sight Right - These giant holes were once occupied by brewing coppers

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than intuition, and that applies to successful buildings, too. That analysis grew into a visual moodboard and document which boiled the brief down to bullet points. The original courtyard at Albert Works was roofed over to create an open plan studio, although it retains its internal elevations. Cellular offices and meeting rooms wrap around, fed by a three-sided gallery. As Wood puts it, the atrium is the engine room where art directors, designers, digital developers, copywriters, strategists and account managers sit together.

Wood is a believer in behavioural change, and did everything he could to encourage collaboration: the desks aren’t too big to lean across, monitors and screens don’t act as obstacles which inhibit discussion. There’s no task lighting, just an even spread of light from northlights in the roof, supplemented by bespoke LED light panels. The acoustics are well-modulated and the displacement ventilation is almost imperceptible.

Design is decision-making. “Nothing in this building has happened by accident. It’s all been considered and we made decisions, rather than leaving things to chance.” Similarly, David Wood is dogmatic about loose furniture – “No pedestals, no waste bins, no dividers between the desks”, and for what did go into the space, the emphasis was on longevity. As an example, the task chairs were supplied by Vitra.

Jaywing moved into Albert Works in April 2017: David Wood reckons the building has succeeded on several levels. He characterised their old offices in Attercliffe as a sad building, whereas Albert Works is a happy one. That’s a very human

way to measure success. Jaywing’s recognition has increased in Sheffield, which is important for the brand, but most all, team spirit, collaboration and staff turnover have all improved.

Those are the social and operational aspects of regeneration.

Albert Works has also been recognised with architectural awards such as RIBA Local and National prizes, the AJ Workplace of the Year 2018, and a Civic Trust Award – and then our conversation turned to collaboration, and David Wood introduced me to Tim Hubbard of 93ft. While Cartwright Pickard were the developer’s architect, on the tenant side, Jaywing engaged 93ft.

At this point, the design process turned into a giant Venn diagram: Cartwright Pickard and 93ft worked closely together, as did 93ft and Jaywing. Tim Hubbard’s firm covers interior architecture and furniture design, while also offering design strategy, branding and identity. David Wood of Jaywing has a graphic design background, and now works as a brand designer – so there’s considerable crossover between client and consultant.

In addition, 93ft have an unusual model for project delivery.

Tim Hubbard pointed out that fit-out designers almost always get to the party too late. At Albert Works it was different; Cartwright Pickard had outlined no more than the regeneration of the street, so the scheme was steered to suit Jaywing’s requirements. As well as playing an integral part in influencing the shell scheme, 93ft’s manufacturing arm produced furniture and the bespoke LED luminaires.

As Hubbard acknowledged, Albert Works was a large, >

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SHEFFIELD

Left - A high level view of the atrium at Jaywing, Albert Works Right - Creative industries are flourishing among the bones of heavy industry

complex project with no hiding places: there’s no drylining, no raised floors and no suspended ceilings. That it was delivered successfully is perhaps due to Sheffield’s ecosystem of suppliers, fabricators and designers. In the same way that David Wood understands which levers to pull as a client, Tim Hubbard is interested in the delivery of projects, and how 93ft can influence that by combining the roles of designer and fabricator.

Almost by accident, my exploration of Sheffield’s old industrial heart then became a study into the courtyard form.

Albert Works developed around one court, Eye Witness Works was planned around three, and Cannon Brewery ended up with buildings wrapped around the edges of a kite-shaped site.

Eye Witness Works in Milton Street was occupied from the 1850’s by cutlery manufacturers Taylor’s Eye Witness, who make cutlery, scissors and pocket knives. The name comes from a line from Shakespeare’s Henry IV – “No eye hath seen better” – and the Grade II-listed factory was the last traditional cutlery works left in Sheffield still manufacturing its original products, albeit using modern machinery.

Unusually, the empty building is a by-product of success rather than failure; in 2018 the company expanded into a modern factory and Sheffield City Council produced a development brief for Eye Witness Works. Devonshire Quarter is intended to become another Kelham Island – its industrial heritage harnessed for flats, offices, and studios – and it has attracted URBAN REALM WINTER 2019 URBANREALM.COM

interest beyond the Yorkshire border.

Capital & Centric are a Manchester-based developer, and their presence in Sheffield demonstrates a couple of things.

Development opportunities still exist in the inner city, and incoming firms have recently broken the grip of the traditional developers who bought up the city’s old cutlery and tool factories 20 or 25 years ago, then sat on them while the market rose.

As Tom Wilmot explained, Eye Witness Works was ideal for Capital & Centric because they aim to go 20% further than a typical developer would to create a project with design integrity.

They’re outbid for some development sites, but their approach works best where, as in this case, the city council owns a site and takes design and social issues into account as well as outright land value.

Similar to the industrial potteries of Stoke-on-Trent and workshops in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter, Eye Witness Works consists of long, shallow plan dual-aspect rooms lined with workbenches. It’s typical of traditional cutlery workshops in Sheffield, where the Little Mesters worked, and dates back to an era before artificial lighting and long span steel frames.

As Tom Wilmot explained, the large, deep floorplates of Manchester’s cotton mills lend themselves to repetitive flat plans, whereas every apartment at Eye Witness Works will be unique. Architects Shedkm have fitted in 97 loft apartments

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and townhouses, plus a café-bar. The warren of stairs, bridges and walkways which make Eye Witness Works feel labyrinthine will remain – but each will give onto only one or two apartments.

Redevelopment will clear away modern extensions which clutter the courtyards, so these can become lightwells and gardens.

Half a mile away on the other side of the city centre, Cannon Brewery was a Sheffield institution. It featured in two films: “The Full Monty”, and “When Saturday Comes” which was shot there in 1995. The brewery was redeveloped in the 1950’s on a much older site at Neepsend, and continued brewing until 1999, after which it was decommissioned then occupied by scrap men with large hungry dogs. By 2011, all the brewing equipment had been stripped out and it was abandoned.

Since then, it’s become a gallery for the street art which has made Sheffield famous. Artists like Phlegm and Coloquix are less politically-motivated than Banksy, but their work crops up in unexpected places. Coloquix’s female figures with their black cat familiar, just like the Trystero post horn in Thomas Pynchon’s “The Crying of Lot 49”, suddenly appear everywhere you look.

Similarly, Phlegm’s “Mausoleum of Giants” installation at Eye Witness Works earlier this year was a clever way to give locals a glimpse of the empty building before its transformation.

The best graffiti features a tangle of words, symbols and graphics which represent fantastical beasts, historical trivia and local knowledge. Tom Wilmot of Capital & Centric suggested

that Phlegm’s show at Eye Witness Works is exactly the kind of “meanwhile” use which developers should embrace, to add some social value during regeneration.

However, unlike Albert Works or Eye Witness Works, Cannon Brewery is the wrong kind of industrial heritage: it’s too big and too recent. The courtyard is a space no-one sees, other than a glimpse through the fortified gate on Rutland Road. Yet the brewery has a dynamic character which will soon be lost; whether looking up from the cellars towards the skyline, or down from the brewhouse tower towards the former Rutland Cutlery Works, which was recently converted into a food court.

In August 2015 the City Council approved an application by site owners Hague Plant to demolish and redevelop the brewery.

It’s increasingly valuable land, located close to one of the Supertram lines and only a five minute walk from Kelham Island, where 93ft are based, and where George Barnsley’s nearby Cornish Works represents perhaps the last big development opportunity.

After an insight into three projects at different stages of the regeneration cycle, I left Yorkshire with a gnomic piece of street art stuck in my head. Someone had inscribed, “Think out of the tesseract” on a piece of brickwork. The tesseract is a fourdimensional cube where solid reality meets virtual abstraction – something like the new uses being found for Sheffield’s redundant factories.

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CARBUNCLE AWARDS

Brian McCabe holds aloft the Plook on the Plinth in Denny back in 2010

P OWE R OF T EN URBAN REALM WINTER 2019 URBANREALM.COM

IT HAS BEEN TEN YEARS SINCE THE LAUNCH OF A REBRANDED URBAN REALM IN WHICH TIME WE HAVE WITNESSED A NUMBER OF HIGHS...

AND MANY LOWS. HERE WE LOOK BACK AT SOME PAST WINNERS OF THE CARBUNCLE AWARD TO SEE WHETHER THE INTERVENING YEARS HAVE BEEN KIND. HAS THE AWARD MADE A DIFFERENCE ON THE GROUND?

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DENNY BRIAN MCCABE

We look back on a pre-Brexit period with happiness & fondness (sic) and can only wonder whether our community would have had the energy & commitment to encourage Falkirk Council to deliver their oft postponed promise to remove the unsightly flats from our town were it not for The Carbuncles.

Well weíve got our new town centre; or maybe not.

Hindsight they say is 20-20 vision. I much prefer foresight myself.

Masterplan after Masterplan, finally found us in 2012 with a proposed 3 Phase development.

They eventually managed one phase. Of sorts.

From plans detailing a supermarket; 16 shops; residential; community; library; sunshine & honey, we ended with the library & 10 retail units, 2 still unoccupied, having never been let in approaching 3 years!

Over 50% of the town centre site lies empty and vacant; squandered opportunity writ large.

The town lies largely moribund & forgotten, suffering from ever decreasing footfall, despite the ëwonderfulí new investment in our library and car park.

Was it worth the furore of the Carbuncle award to get things moving on the ground?

Almost certainly.

Did it bring a desired outcome to the community for their town? Perhaps.

We can only surmise that had it not been for the ‘Walk Around the Block’ campaigners and a committed local community, Denny & Dunipace would yet be waiting on a hapless Council and who knows, another Carbuncle Trophy consideration.

Happy birthday Urban Realm.

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Is bargain bin regeneration all that Cumbernauld has in store?

CUMBERNAULD

ADAM SMITH, AUTHOR OF CUMBERNAULD THROUGH TIME Cumbernauld has the unfortunate distinction of being named the Carbuncle on two occasions, 2001 and 2005, each time serving to label the town to many as the worst in Scotland or even the UK, but the reality is it is neither. The award was met with delight by those who thought it might embarrass North Lanarkshire Council and others into taking positive action, but for the most part the award has simply been another reason to talk Cumbernauld down.

No one can argue that Cumbernauld Town Centre is an attractive sight, although it is a brutalist dream and still today attracts architecture students from across the world, but the building is very much of its time and the iconic submarine on stilts formed part of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first indoor town centre.

Cumbernauld is, like any town, much more than one single building though. Cumbernauld is one of the largest towns in Scotland, with a rich heritage including prehistoric origins and links to the nearby

Antonine Wall, an airport, a TV and film studio, a football stadium, two lochs, three golf courses, an abundance of ancient woodlands and large parks, industry, retail, and leisure, and has an active and thriving community at its heart.

In the years since Cumbernauld was designated a carbuncle, the town has seen much development, with the twelve high-rise blocks being demolished to make way for modern housing, a new shopping centre and two retail parks completed, a new ÂŁ8m community enterprise centre opened, and two modern replacement high schools constructed, to name just a few changes, but these changes would have happened regardless of being awarded the Carbuncle.

In the intervening years, Cumbernauld has also been awarded the Best Small City at the Beautiful Scotland awards, a Civic Pride Award at the Scottish Design Awards, and been presented with a special distinction by the Royal Town Planning Institute. Next time you think of Cumbernauld please think not about the carbuncle but of our many positive achievements and help us to reverse the longstanding negative perceptions of our great town.

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CARBUNCLE AWARDS

LINWOOD

TOM BURKE, EDITOR, LINWOOD SUCKS In 2011 the meeting with the team from Urban Realm seemed like a gift from the media gods. Nominating your home town for the Worst Town or Most Dismal Town is certainly desperate measures but I had hoped this would be the level of exposure needed to embarrass Renfrewshire Council to finally admit the town was in crisis.

Winning the award is nothing like winning an Oscar. A very bittersweet victory where there is nothing left to be done but cross your fingers that some chain reaction is tottering like a slow-motion domino effect awaiting that first push.

There was an outrage locally after the win was announced on BBC1. People were still very much in denial, even after some of the footage of the walkabout shown on TV â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but the media were now paying close attention to what would happen next.

In parallel to the shopping centre fiasco, the original sports centre had been demolished and rebuilt with better facilities including a swimming pool. This came at the loss of a muchloved local community centre. The Linwood Focus Group who had been campaigning to save the Community centre got even angrier after the Urban Realm Award. They relaunched themselves as the Linwood Community Development Trust and after 8 years of hard work have just this year launched an impressive 5â&#x20AC;&#x201C;a-side football facility on the grounds of the

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former Mossedge School.

The editor of Linwood Sucks was now public enemy number 1 to many locals however the long-awaited demolition of the shopping centre would officially mark the beginning of change.

It was quoted that Linwood shopping centre aka the town centre was allowed to become so dilapidated that it could not get any worse. In this situation, therefore, it was understandable that locals would be willing to accept anything. In fact, for many, the demolition on its own would have sufficed as it at least removed the hazards of falling concrete and the threat of an infestation from pigeons and rats who had taken over 75% of the centre.

On the bright side, Tesco did deliver a new mini shopping facility along with a Tesco store. It is a ray of sunshine compared to what it has replaced. Tesco also has a designated member of staff who liaises with local groups, charities etc and facilitates much-needed fundraising for worthy causes.

Very welcome in the town is having the choice of takeaway food from Greggs and the Subway franchise. Simple things these days that most towns probably take for granted. The success of these along with a raised profile in Linwood has given Greggs the confidence to open another branch at the nearby Linwood Phoenix and another surprisingly less than a

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Left - Pedestrians play a dangerous game of Russian Roulette with traffic Right - A new Tesco store turns its back on desire lines

mile away just where Linwood road meets the start of Paisley.

Is this the slow-moving domino effect in motion?

A welcome bonus during the development of the shopping centre was something of a traffic calming addition and several pelican crossings along the busy Kashmir Avenue.

These were decades overdue. Again, something bittersweet, however. One bonus of these safe crossing areas we would have all appreciated was the safer access they bring to the riverside walks and on to the adjacent National Cycle Network.

Why bittersweet? Well metaphorically and/or architecturally Tesco seems to have “turned its back on Linwood”. In a time where people are encouraged to walk Tesco has cut off direct access to the bulk of pedestrian traffic. A commonsense point of access to the shops, health centre, town hall and riverside walks has been blocked off. Pedestrians attempting to visit any of these facilities are now met with an intimidating prison-like fence-line and forced to detour for another 500m around what can only be described as an awkward unplanned route. Very awkward in particular for pedestrians with walking frames and it is bringing unnecessary cycle traffic into the shopping area as they try to access the cycle paths.

The predecessor was promoted as Scotland’s first regional shopping centre. Not a town centre. This makes sense as of course, the location is NOT at the centre of anything other than controversy. Was Scotland’s first regional shopping centre actually what we would now call a Retail Park? No different to the Linwood Phoenix other than it is a mile or so closer to residential areas of Linwood. It is still much more

accessible to car users than to pedestrians overall.

Back to road safety – it had been hoped by many that the Tesco development would fuel the motivation to also improve road safety for the pedestrian route to the Phoenix Retail Park.

This, unfortunately, has not been the case and pedestrians still have to risk crossing in front of motorway traffic twice on the way and again twice on their return.

We have had two recent fatal road traffic accidents in Linwood. These were both however on the Bride of Weir road and Clippens Road areas. This wouldn’t have been predicted by members of the public but it must have flagged up on the radar of Renfrewshire Council. There has been one substantial housing development on the outskirts of Linwood and another is work in progress. These are putting more traffic into what has been a semi-rural roads network that was already bursting at the seams. Some think the low light levels offered from the new LED street lighting has contributed to pedestrian hazards but it is more likely an increase of traffic trying to avoid congested M8 access at Johnstone ( caused

by Morrisons) and instead choosing to cut through Linwood for alternative M8 access. Worth noting also that as welcome as the new Sports Centre and five-a-side pitches are to locals – these are not local assets. Much like Tesco, they are now regional assets and therefore they are also pulling in extra traffic from non-locals.

In summary, we were right it could not get any worse – it has got better but Renfrewshire Council is still neglecting a lot of serious issues.

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Previous page - Accommodating race cars within a Georgian villa proved to be no easy task Above - A black zinc structure conncts to the coach house

Scottish Borders Council has crossed the finishing line with a newly refurbished £1.6m museum in Duns dedicated to the achievements of British Formula 1 champion Jim Clark.

Opened this summer the Jim Clark Motorsport Museum has been designed in-house by the council’s own architects’ to memorialise a sportsman whose career was tragically cut short at the age of just 32 after a fatal racing accident at Hockenheim, Germany, but who remains loved to this day.

Both commemorating and celebrating an all too brief career the chosen solution stands as a deliberately understated marriage between a B-listed Georgian villa and its coach house, which previously housed the Jim Clark Memorial Room. More than the sum of its parts the new museum provides much needed additional display space by way of a black zinc linking structure which connects both buildings and doubles as a public entrance.

The central concept focusses on a visitor journey navigating the life and career of Jim Clark, arranged in the manner of a racetrack and resembles the initial sketches remarkably closely, save for the rationalisation of vertical circulation and removal of a viewing gantry above the vehicle display pen on value engineering grounds. Bringing Urban Realm up to speed on what has proven to be a marathon rather than a sprint for Ray Cherry, architectural manager at Scottish Borders Council. He said: “The creation of a single space, subdivided into different

zones, uses a combination of different physical heights plus natural and artificial lights to create spaces of differing intimacy and atmosphere, drawing the visitor on a journey through the building and through Clark’s life, career and legacy.”

Significant structural alterations to the interior have allowed the existing circulation to be completely reworked to enable an open-plan exhibition space to be carved out of a series of impractical small rooms while a rear corner of the villas ground floor has been completely removed leaving upper floors hanging over a central reception space. In this way, the ground floor public space now stretches to 270sqm with offices and archives located on a more private first floor.

Asked why the decision was taken to deliver the design in-house instead of opening up the process Cherry said: “Why wouldn’t we is the simple answer. The team is connected with the local area and understands the value of a building of this nature to the community and the built environment. It also has the advantage that the ‘after care’ of the building is available ‘on tap’. When the building is completed, we don’t hand over the keys and walk away, but remain available to respond to clients’ requests for information. I still receive calls from occupants of buildings that I designed and built twenty years ago asking for information about the original design or the materials and components used.”

Complicating matters somewhat was the aforementioned >

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MOTORSPORT MUSEUM

Left - The impressive reception has been likened to Dr Who’s Tardis Right - Living legend Sir Jackie Stewart bends the ear of dinitaries

requirement to work within the confines of the existing B-listed villa and coach house. Did this limit the freedom of expression which a blank canvas could have provided? “There is the obvious legislative issue of the Listed Building Framework but my experience with Historic Environment Scotland (HES) has been an incredibly positive one”, claims Cherry. “Some of the proposals were radical, especially in conservation terms, such as the removal of the central staircase and effectively, the removal of all of the existing rooms on the ground floor, but HES listened to the design rationale and were supportive of my proposals to adapt an existing building in a manner that would extend its life span into the future. Part of the challenge was developing a design that could allow the character of the existing buildings to be retained and integrated with the new museum.”

The challenge was compounded by the fact that parts of the old coach house were so unsafe that they could not be properly surveyed. When the team finally moved on-site they were greeted by a situation which was even worse than expected, forcing the construction solution to be changed at short notice though these problems were allayed by a collaborative approach with the council’s own conservation officer. Moreover, the existence of two disparate elements presented the need for some form of unification, ultimately resulting in the creation of an atrium link which doubles as a front door. “This was a particular challenge that works on different planes and required the use of specific materials.” observed Cherry. “On plan, the coach house is set back from the villa so I opted for the link building, which forms the new level access entrance, to sit back from the villa, but forward of the coach house to maintain the superiority of the villa to the street front. This was repeated with the front elevation heights by keeping the link lower than the villa parapet. The roof form is also purposely different from the existing slated, pitched roofs to reflect the intervention.

“I spent a lot of time considering the most appropriate materials for the new-build section and the original sketch has this as a glass box – essentially to create a transparent link, but the reality was that this would have been wholly impractical from a curator’s perspective. The impact of UV radiation on URBAN REALM WINTER 2019 URBANREALM.COM

exhibits and the overheating implications would have required additional servicing costs to mitigate and would only add to the revenue burden of the client. Museums, especially provincial ones, have to operate on incredibly tight margins, therefore it is incumbent on designers to respond to this. The design developed to the use of a traditional, rural (agricultural) material – zinc – in a contemporary fashion as a means of addressing operational demands while reflecting the quality of the original listed building and promoting the forward looking aspirations of the new museum. The pre-patinated anthracite colour of the zinc, combined with the white glass were chosen to make the link recede while remaining purposefully contemporary. The passer-by simultaneously sees an original villa of architectural merit and a quality modern museum that invites their further attention.”

Quizzed by Urban Realm on the apparent dichotomy between an architecturally modest but structurally flamboyant solution Cherry responded: “I think it is to misunderstand or misinterpret to suggest that the design vs structure relationship is like this. Yes, the overall museum design is purposefully, apparently modest, but it is deceptively complex. Its modesty was a deliberate response to the context of the existing building and also, fundamentally, in tribute to Jim Clark himself who has been described by many people as a modest man, despite his enormous success. The structural intervention is a direct

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Top - The revamped space serves as a fitting tribute to Clark Bottom - Visitors are now led along a curated ‘journey’ through Clark’s career

result of function and the design intent of a museum that flows, allowing the visitor to enjoy the experience and the exhibits without being distracted unnecessarily by the building.

“Most visitors comment on the ‘Tardis-like’ nature of the space and are taken aback when they enter by just how large and open the space is; a direct counterpoint to the “modest” frontage. The interplay of natural and artificial light with shifts in volume height add to this dynamic in a way that guides the visitor naturally through the spaces. Intimacy is created in the most sensitive areas by using the original, restricted ceiling height along with the removal of all natural light, black surfaces and the careful design of the exhibition display fitments.”

Asked what Jim Clark himself would make of all the fuss and attention fifty years on Cherry said: “I am too young to remember Jim Clark when he was racing, but I do know members of his family and they have all said that this very modest champion would have been humbled and delighted by this building. This was echoed by his great friend, Sir Jackie Stewart, at the official opening of the building in August. From the stories I have been told about Jim Clark, I suspect that he would be slightly embarrassed by the attention, but also immensely proud to have this museum in his name. “ More than just a museum the attraction forms a key plank of efforts to regenerate Duns, attested to by the fact that 12,000 visitors have already passed through its doors, with just 18% of

these visits originating from within the Scottish Borders. This impact is augmented by the deliberate omission of a café or on-site parking, to ensure that any spillover benefits to the local economy are maximised.

The public are already lapping up the museum according to preliminary numbers but its true impact will be measured on the wider town which looks set to capitalise by earning a ranking on the tourism circuit. Fifty years on from Jim Clark’s untimely death the racing legend has taken pole position once again.

Architect: Scottish Borders Council Architects Clerk of Works: Scottish Borders Council Architects Quantity Surveyor: Thomson Gray Construction Consultants Structural Engineer: Christie Gillespie Consulting Engineers Ltd Services Engineer: Cundall Adviser to PD: Thomson Gray Construction Consultants Exhibition Designer: Abound Design & Interpretation Ltd Principal Contractor: James Swinton & Co. Ltd. Images: Paul White Photography

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CLASSICAL EDINBURGH LESLIE HOWSON

CHARACT ER W I TNESS LESLIE HOWSON PRESENTS THE CASE FOR AN URGENT NEW PROTECTION PLAN TO BE PUT IN PLACE FOR EDINBURGH’S RICH NEO-CLASSICAL HERITAGE. HERE HOWSON CONSIDERS A RCICH ARCHITECTURAL LEGACY AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE AS A SPRINGBOARD FOR THE CITY’S FUTURE DEVELOPMENT.

Classical Edinburgh with its iconic seven new towns was the result of a clear vision which followed the period of the Enlightenment and from a determination to make Edinburgh one of the foremost capital cities of 18th century Europe.

James Craig`s masterly first New Town plan of 1767 created a neo-classical extension for Edinburgh, planned and largely built within 30 years and which soon became the envy of 18th century Europe. Over the next, circa 100 years Edinburgh became a city which the world now comes to see as much for this unique classical heritage as for its equally iconic medieval Old Town, the Castle and the Royal Palace.

Edinburgh has often been referred to as the Athens of the North, a phrase coined by Hugh Williams the Welsh poet and artist in 1820, the reference being made as a comparison between Edinburgh’s by then several individual neoclassical buildings and architectural compositions, to those of ancient Greece.

The building of Edinburgh`s famous New Town, a masterpiece of city planning, began in the 1760s with few grand public buildings but as the city grew so did calls for suitable monuments to cement its new found grandeur. There soon followed the erection of a number of iconic classical buildings reminiscent of classical Greece. By the end of the 19th century, Edinburgh had become one of the most distinctive capital cities in Europe, much of its reputation being by then due to large number of neoclassical buildings which collectively established the cities unique character and reputation world wide.

Whilst the cities architectural New Town Georgian heritage is marked by symmetry and proportions based on classical features; columns, capitals and other classical ornamentation are restrained and secondary to the essential characteristics of the Georgian style. Thus a distinction has to be made between URBAN REALM WINTER 2019 URBANREALM.COM

the Georgian classical heritage of the New Town itself and its pure classical or rather neoclassical heritage in the Greek classical style also built elsewhere in the city; for the buildings which led to the name `Athens of the North` are its neoclassical monuments, especially those on and around Calton Hill.

The generally high quality of the architecture of the New Town and its successive extensions, all built between 1767 and 1890 and within which were built several neoclassical buildings, exerted a major influence on the development of urban architecture and town planning and set standards for Scotland and beyond.

Edinburgh`s many 18th and 19th century classical buildings around the central area of the city and especially those within the new town areas defined the character of the growing city.

A subtle framework of visual connections threading the city together, they made the city legible and created the cities unique atmosphere, still evident today It is notable that by the time of the Disruption of the Church of Scotland in 1843, some aspects of Greek temple-style architecture were considered by the religious establishment of the city to be pagan and very few columnar Greek-style churches were built after that period in Edinburgh.

To fully appreciate the importance and significance of classical Edinburgh its architecture and urban layout requires an understanding of its complexities and subtleties from an urban planning perspective and this is best done from a pedestrian perspective. Walking about any city can be a sensorial experience but most reward from that experience is gained from an understanding and appreciation not only of the buildings themselves but what they contribute to the city as a whole; such is the case in Edinburgh, a pedestrian friendly city.

It is not only a matter of the perception of the buildings >

Š COLIN MCLEAN PHOTOGRAPHY

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Edinburgh has sometimes struggled to balance the competing needs of conservation and development

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CLASSICAL EDINBURGH

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Edinburghâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economic success is endangering a skyline which is no longer sacrosanct

themselves but also recognizing building compositions, the interplay of the buildings and their spatial context, buildings in the wider urban and landscape setting and about the role they play in making for visual connections an aspect which makes the city more legible.

Historically, the urban expansion of Edinburgh has been a series of paradigms reflective of the major periods of its development with each imposing variations to the urban grain of the city. Within each period many major landmark buildings were built which help define the cities character. Visitors today experience a series neoclassical architectural masterpieces, each punctuating the urban plan, framed vistas, set pieces and compositions which all combine to create the particular music of the city. This is the delight of Edinburgh and which must be understood by city planners, architects and developers alike.

Whether such architectural monuments appear within the New Town and its subsequent extensions or elsewhere in the city, these familiar buildings are important enhancing landmarks, which along with the castle rock and the Old Town give the city its special character.

Located in a unique landscape setting and juxtaposed to its castle on a rock and with its medieval old town, Edinburgh has a great legacy of classical architecture to rival any city in the

world.

However, this historical heritage is under threat. Economic development is now to the fore. Tourism has taken over with the drive to build as many new hotels and provide as many bed spaces as possible and fairground noises fill the city for several months of the year, the proliferation of large scale pension funded student housing schemes are overwhelming established communities and insufficiently regulated developer-led projects are impacting on the scale and character of the historic city centre. Much of this is proving detrimental to the cities World Heritage legitimacy. The economic returns to the city from tourism are set to destroy the very aspects which most tourists (and scholars) come to see, perhaps its greatest asset, its historic built environment. Whilst every city needs inward investment in the form of new development, there has to be a balance between what is appropriate development and erosion of the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s historic heritage.

The classical city is constantly under threat and many would say is today being ruined from inappropriate and insensitive development mostly driven by economics. This has resulted in a gradual erosion of the cities important historic legacy and character as new badly designed buildings are juxtaposed to old and supposedly protected cross-city vistas are being >

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© COLIN MCLEAN PHOTOGRAPHY

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Left - The pressure to build in the city has never been higher Right - Reiach & Hall evidence the value in sustainable re-use on George Street

interrupted by over-scaled developments imposing themselves on the city skyline.

The potential for a negative impact from inappropriately designed development in Edinburgh is evident, despite presumed protection of key vistas and supposed restrictions on building heights in the central area of the city.

Whilst Edinburgh has seen the building of many well designed individual buildings they have not necessarily positively contributed to the whole. That all new buildings should be representative of their period is an accepted tenet but equally is the principle that building should contribute and enhance their context. This is especially so in a city centre like Edinburgh where a single inappropriately designed or over-scaled development can have a huge detrimental and character changing impact on the cities urban landscape. It is the collective responsibility of architects, planners, developers, conservationist and the city authorities, as joint guardians of Edinburgh’s unique environment to see that this does not happen.

It should be remembered that in 1967 Edinburgh’s architects gathered to survey and protect the cities then crumbling classical buildings, many under threat of demolition; thus an example of collective concern and collective action to safeguard the cities heritage. Some would say Edinburgh is under URBAN REALM WINTER 2019 URBANREALM.COM

threat again but this time not from crumbling buildings, albeit preservation of the cities’ historic built fabric must continue and extra vigilance to offset the detrimental effects of climate change.

Classical Edinburgh started with a clear vision which came out of a period of enlightenment, political circumstance, social change and the need to establish a new Scottish identity.

Within approximately 100 years the vision and desire for a new beginning spawned the historic city of today a great legacy which the city has prospered from. The question which historians, conservationists, urban planner and architects should be asking now is what legacy are we creating for the next 100 years. Everything we plan today and build today will leave a legacy and as cities grow and become more dense, getting that legacy right becomes ever more important. Therefore we have to consider whether what we are building today is anywhere near as good as classical Edinburgh which was master-planned and then grew incrementally and purposefully to create this iconic city.

At a time when the city is devising its Vision for 2050, there is arguably a need to take stock and consider how the city should be shaped in the future and conserving and safeguarding its architecture and urban planning heritages is central to that process.

Š PAUL ZANRE

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A more holistic and urban design approach to the future shaping of the city is arguably required and with this a more considered approach to how new large scale developments building should fit into the city-wide context and their contribution to the overall character of the growing city. Perhaps changes should be made to the current planning process, moving away from a predominantly developer-led system to one which considers the wider impact of such developments on the overall character of the city and its communities.

It is the case that throughout Edinburgh`s history, boldness and civic vision has been to the fore. Creation of the New Town, the building of the North Bridge, extending the railway network through the city and the building of Waverley Station (soon to be revamped) were bold initiatives but respectful to heritage.

Radical changes are being made again as the city grows, however, unlike the classical period of the 18th and 19th century, there is currently no overall vision for the planning of the city.

Current master planning is for private landowners, site limited and commercially driven with no consideration about how such development will impact on wider context resulting in a gradual erosion of the character of the city.

There is perhaps more public criticism now about insensitive and inappropriate large scale developments than in the recent past, when such as the Castle Terrace / Traverse Theatre

complex appeared to come under greater scrutiny by Planning than now. This was then not just about architectural design quality but also about urban design, with considerations such as the impact such large scale developments would have on the city skyline, an aspect which Planning appears to be more relaxed about now, unfortunately. The lack of in house urban designers due to cuts in human resources within the Council, may excuse this apparent â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;weaknessâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;; in the planning process but if City Planning cannot be allowed to ensure a high standard of urban planning is maintained within the city, then who can?

The building of Edinburgh`s classical architecture grew out of a desire to enhance the cities profile and the reputation of Scotland but at the same time central to this aim was the conscious level of control exerted by the city authorities to ensure that the new buildings on a scale never previously conceived or built so quickly were of the highest quality design by the best intellectually minded architects and all within a highly controlled urban planning process; the first New Town and its subsequent phases are clear evidence of that. The city grew and thrived and with a need to draw investment as now, but it that growth was balanced against a desire to safeguard and to respect the cities great historical heritage. This same conscious and conscientious approach is required now, otherwise, its unique heritage will be lost for good.

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DESIGN REVIEW JOHN GLENDAY

ART I ST I C L I CENSE A NEED FOR DIFFERENTIATION IS INSPIRING SOME DEVELOPERS TO BRING TO BRING ON BOARD A VARIETY OF CREATIVE SKILLS FROM PHOTOGRAPHY AND PAINTING TO SCULPTURE IN AN EFFORT TO STEAL AN EDGE ON THE COMPETITION. WE EXAMINE THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN ART AND ARCHITECTURE IN THIS FULL SPECTRUM APPROACH.

The worlds of architecture, art and property development don’t always mix easily but one Edinburgh developer is promoting a unified approach which puts developer, architect and designer at the heart of a photography-first approach which sees each new development catalogued in its ‘found’ state before bringing to bear the insights of Morgan McDonnell Architects and in-house interior designer Karen Brown.

Exemplifying this approach is Old Town Chambers in Edinburgh’s Old Town where photographer Kevin McCollum has compiled an extensive body of architectural images and portraiture to adorn its walls, taking its place alongside work from half a dozen artists including the painter David Martin.

Informing Urban Realm of this art-led approach Chris Stewart of the Chris Stewart Group said: “When you get into these old buildings, they’ve still got great stories to tell. It’s nice to see the progression but also to record where they were, we’ve tried photographing buildings when the plasterboard goes up and it’s boring.

What we’re not trying to do is deliver architectural photography. It’s about texture and history.”

Key to the creative success of this way of working is to URBAN REALM WINTER 2019 URBANREALM.COM

avoid being overly prescriptive, allowing for unexpected results. Stewart continues: “Kevin has a talent for seeing how light affects different spaces. Like all good artists he can see something which other people don’t. We can do lots of functional photography which records where the buildings were but it’s the artistic quality which gives us something special. We do inform a lot of what we would like to see by way of tone and size, not necessarily content. There is no point in images hanging in a way which doesn’t suit a space.”

This approach has furnished Stewart with an array of images, a selection of which now hang throughout the Edinburgh Grand (a former headquarters of RBS) which both tell the story of the building and its location in addition to the company and the photographer.

Of course, art can be divisive and where some see beauty others may just see an unkempt bed. Is Stewart prepared to take risks in the type of work displayed?

“The subject matter is quite neutral. We still go through them on a piece by piece basis. We wouldn’t work with someone who would deliver that type of imagery.”

One way to open the field to as many ideas as possible is seen in a competition run 60 miles to the north >

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© KEVIN MCCOLLUM PHOTOGRAPHY

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© KEVIN MCCOLLUM PHOTOGRAPHY

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© KEVIN MCCOLLUM PHOTOGRAPHY

Previous page - Guests are invited to stop and think at the Edinburgh Grand Left - McCollum serves as his own muse in this scene capturing the ‘found’ condition of a commission Above - Abstract and stylised imagery can work with the architecture to engender a sense of place

at Water’s Edge, a conversion of an historic Dundonian warehouse into commercial offices by Tayforth Properties and Nicoll Russell Studios. Here Tereza Chronakova and Aleksandra Daszynska, both students at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, have crafted twin stainless-steel sculptures to augment the architecture.

Chronokova’s work consists of eight metal trays directing a flow of water while a twin piece by Daszynska takes inspiration from the technical drawings of the building to produce an interactive collection of brass rods and mirrors connecting the interior and exterior.

Stewart Clark, managing director of Tayforth Properties, commented: “The designs by Aleksandra and Tereza really do pay homage to the building and the history behind Water’s Edge, which we have always been

keen to honour. We were able to unveil both sculptures on launch day and believe they add something very special to the building, particularly the sound of trickling water you hear as you walk through the building.”

The basis of Stewart’s approach is authenticity, the elusive nature of which is something Stewart seeks to bottle on every project. “The truth of it is it all comes from the buildings and locations that we work with”, he says.

“Our inspiration comes from the buildings that are already there and we try not to land a spaceship. From the ground up it has to have authenticity but that doesn’t mean we can’t combine it with modern architecture. The DNA of it has to be what the people and places are all about. We can’t lose the history of a place in a development, that’s why we brought back Love Loan as a name because it >

DESIGN REVIEW

was lost for years.

“You can get it badly wrong as well as right, it’s just one of the elements that we use to give our developments identity. We use it when appropriate. Rather than the developer driving what he wants you really have to stand back from that and work with people. The best work is not overtly controlled, it’s informed. Let the architects get on with what they’re doing.”

Key to being able to deliver top down management throughout the lifecycle of each development is being their own end customer, with the Chris Stewart Group operating each of their projects as hoteliers and restaurateurs – not just as a property developer.

Another unifying strand which links projects from Edinburgh Grand to Love Loan is the focus on city centres with Stewart most excited by an urban context and the ability to create mixed use urban environments. “We’re not focussed on heritage buildings,” says Stewart, “but we know what to do with them. It’s the combination of new and old in both architecture and use which makes things interesting and gives us a better opportunity. In all our sites there is a strong new build and heritage element, both Glasgow and Edinburgh have a huge amount of heritage buildings which need sorting out.”

An art-led approach certainly helps to stand out in a crowded marketplace and shows that the boundaries between professions are becoming blurred in a positive feedback loop which sees architects, artists and designers informing each other’s work in a quest for authenticity.

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© PERTHSHIRE PICTURE AGENCY

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© PERTHSHIRE PICTURE AGENCY

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Left - Tereza Chronakova alongside ‘Rain Spiral’ Right - ‘Angles’ by Aleksandra Daszynska mirrors the surrounding architecture

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TECHNOLOGY FOCUS

TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES ARE TRANSFORMING THE BUILDING PROCESS. WE LOOK AT HOW AN EVER EXPANDING TOOLKIT IS OVERHAULING TRADITIONAL APPROACHES TO DESIGN. The rapid pace of technological change has brought about as a migration from the drawing board to computer graphics a new dimension is opening up as architects embrace ever more accurate and realistic models to communicate their work to as Pixel Image director Steve Smith told Urban Realm: “The industry has been moving away from CGI firms, the recession did a lot of that. We’re seeing a demise of graphics suppliers as architects take those skills in-house.”

Faced with the need to adapt in order to survive studios such as Pixel Image are now choosing to move into more cutting-edge technologies such as virtual and augmented reality to power future growth with the full potential of such technologies going largely untapped. Smith says: “We’re at the equivalent period now to where the internet was in the early nineties, it’s going to be great.”

New software integrating Building Information Modelling (BIM) with VR is coming to market in addition to hand-held AR devices capable of designs on-site and underground utilities over geospatial data with the wearer able to walk around the model and view from different perspectives in real time.

The benefits such technologies can bring are many from planning to design and construction with better coordination at each stage cited as vital for eliminating clashes such as pipework running through steel beams. Enhanced visualisation also serves to better communicate ideas, with entire floorplans available to view in real time.

The set up costs for such technologies can be high however as the real world applications for virtual tools draw not just the larger practices but smaller firms too, such as a new TMS facility enabling people to don a headset without the need to break the bank. Do these gadgets mean architects are becoming more adventurous with the freedoms afforded by improved software - or funneled toward prescriptive automated outcomes? Are architects today only as good as their tools?

We asked Jonathan Reeve of Voigt Architects to relay his own thoughts. > URBAN REALM WINTER 2019 URBANREALM.COM

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The latest drone technology is put through its paces at Digital Construction Week

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Top - Software tools are now augmented by new hardware solutions Bottom - The paper napkin has long been surpassed as a communicationsmedium Right - The versatility of Sketchup streamlines the design process URBAN REALM WINTER 2019 URBANREALM.COM

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Jonathan Reeve, architect, Voigt Architects I have wanted to be an architect since a child, from my ever-growing obsession for Lego and creating/building things.

Architects are often seen as paper pushers or builder’s agents but making buildings is a creative design process.

I am fortunate to be old enough to remember being shown how to draft Architectural drawings by hand using Rotring pens on a drawing board (with the good old parallel bar and set square!).

It is interesting that studying Architecture at university hand-drafting wasn’t even part of the course as we were almost ‘expected’ to either know it or just pick it up along the way. I am deeply grateful to Dundee University Architecture tutor Brian Adams who spent an hour with me one day to show me personally how to draft properly, and that skill he passed on I was to use all through my career!

Whilst at university I saw the ‘rise of the machine’ via CAD and am very fortunate to have studied at a time during that cross over. I am really glad that I can both hand draft and use both CAD and 3D competently and these dual skills have really helped me as an Architect. Design always starts by hand though (sketches), and then we move into CAD or 3D. We have sometimes made the mistake of

going too quickly to the computer, but often this is an advantage.

One of my favourite quotes from a tutor whilst studying architecture was to ‘keep buildings simple – you should be able to sketch your design in 10 seconds using 10 lines.’

I have used 3D Software for over 15 years now and love that it is simple and quick to produce 3D models.

These days so many people do not understand architectural drawings such as plans, sections etc and being able to communicate your ideas in 3D is so useful for our clients.

I have found Sketchup not only to be a great tool for representing our ideas but a key instrument in informing them.

So many times at an early stage we have gone straight to the 3D model to look at an idea, to test it, to modify it; and to look at form, materials, textures. It then becomes not an ‘end of the process’ 3D image but a key tool to design with. It is also very useful to test and present to our client’s multiple options for a scheme, allowing them to see numerous views of our options from various angles to allow them to make a better more informed decision or choice. A client recently reminded us when we had an issue on a

>

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TECHNOLOGY FOCUS

private house site but couldn’t visualise any of our suggested solutions, until this was illustrated in 3D and the decision was then made in 5 minutes.

Our typical workflow for most projects consists of producing a Sketchup model of the building (and often the site) as a key design tool, and one to present to the client at the very initial stage.

Thereafter the 3D model will help in the design development and be used in the main planning drawings and application.

Usually, it then finishes when we develop the construction drawings but often the 3D model is used to check, test and visualise technical elements and issues, as well as being useful for our technical staff to check the construction drawings against the original design intent.

I love producing 3D models to show clients inside their building before it is made. This had led to us dipping into animations and flythoughs and has really helped us not only sell our ideas but help our clients sell their houses/flats etc. A lot of our projects on our website now incorporate the 3D animations alongside the 3Ds and photos of the building.

We often collaborate with our clients via the 3D model and have sent out the model for them to navigate and spin around at home using the software viewer. Domestic clients especially love this being able to walk around and show off their new home to family and friends.

I think there is a real art and craft to be able to sketch your design intentions, and every time I need to amend a plan (or site plan) it is much easier to do this by printing out, overlaying the drafting paper and exploring, testing, idea after idea. I use a blue pencil (it is clearer to read and it doesn’t get your hands as dirty as the HB pencils!) and is easy to draw something, then change it and refine it via hand.

On the flip side, using the computer to assist in design lets you look at your designs from ‘all angles’ by spinning it around, adding and subtracting elements quickly, changing materials, and again constantly testing and evolving design.

This has been tested numerous times in

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a client meeting where they have asked us “what about if you did it like…..” – and I have often made the change there and then ‘while-you-wait’ blue peter style.

This approach has really helped test client ideas, but also our 3D ‘instant’ modelling ability!

The computer also has the ability to model and illustrate vast areas in a single model. We have shown 3D models of a very simple 1-room extension right up to modelling half a city block and this couldn’t simply be achieved in the same way by hand. With the emergence of the Google Streetview, and the 3D Google Earth views we can explore cities almost instantly and tie our 3D models into our cities to illustrate.

The next step for 3D technology has to be the Drone photography and use of VR, which use to be limited to the huge mega-architect firms with their large budgets and in-house team of 3D artists at the ready. But now smaller firms are embracing this as well as a number of developers we work with who are embracing this technology to market and sell better.

I recently took my kids to the ‘robots’ exhibition in the fabulous V&A Dundee and one of the interesting displays was to type into a search engine “how likely is my career to be replaced with robots/ technology.” I was hugely relieved to discover that “Architect” was fairly low risk alongside many of the creative careers, as much as computers and robots are vastly superior to us in numerous ways it seems that designing is not their forte.

It is clear the ‘rise of the machine’ is here to assist, not to replace, design. As architects, we must embrace the machine and the rapid advance of technology or we are at risk of being left behind and superseded by the firms around us who will be the ones that are up there and current with all the modern programs and devices. Good design, however, does not require over-technology to disguise it and good design will always shine through long after the 3D render is filed away.

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Construction Scotland Innovation Centre has launched a virtual reality training course

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GEORGIAN EDINBURGH JOHN GLENDAY

AN EYE OPENING PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION PUTS EDINBURGHâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S NEW TOWN IN THE FRAME WITH A SERIES OF VIEWS CHARTING THE EVOLUTION OF ITS NEO-CLASSICAL ARCHITECTURE OVER THE PAST HALF CENTURY. PHOTOGRAPHER COLIN MCLEAN STEPS OUT FROM BEHIND THE LENS TO TELL US MORE.

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Previous page - A play of light accentuates the Bank of Scotland Above - Black and white photography is favoured to bring out the detail at the Royal Scottish Academy Below - Colin McLean is pursuing a passion for photography since departing the Heritage Lottery Fund

Fresh from pounding the streets of Edinburgh in pursuit of evocative snapshots of the timeless New Town, photographer Colin McLean has created a link to the past by pairing the seminal work of photographer Edwin Smith with his own work at Classical Edinburgh, an exhibition charting the changes, overt and subtle, which have altered the New Town for good and ill over the past 50 years.

By mixing archive images reproduced in A.J. Youngson’s seminal 1966 book ‘The Making of Classical Edinburgh’ with new and updated perspectives of the city as it appears today the exhibition serves as a time machine taking us back to an era which is gradually fading from our collective memory. Thrust back into the spotlight with high-resolution you can almost step into the smog-bound Georgian streets the exhibition serves as a celebration of the courageous conservation efforts of the day which bequeathed the New Town as we now know it but which also serves as a reminder of its ongoing fragility.

Digging deeper than the surface Craigleith stone, slate and cast iron that draws tourists from the world over McLean is keen to imbue his images with the storied history of an area which has not only been a seat of philosophy, economics and science but also a home to the world’s oldest profession.

McLean said: “Someone once asked me what my favourite street was, and I said Danube Street. Number 17 was a very

famous brothel for about 40 years! There are all sorts of these streets tucked away which many of us don’t see.”

McLean’s risqué tale is a reminder that behind the pofaced Georgian facades the lives of the people who lived and worked here could be every bit as colourful as their less well to do Old Town neighbours, despite the monochrome artistic choices of the photographer. Sadly, the exhibition never ventures behind the net curtains with McLean admitting he had wished to photograph some interiors but ran out of time. >

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GEORGIAN EDINBURGH

Left - Familiar views reveal the impact of vehicles on the city Right - A switch from coal has had a dramatic impact on air quality

Instead, McLean set out to both reframe Smith’s earlier work and to flex his creativity with some bespoke views where the original buildings had been lost. McLean said: “I recruited an exhibition design company called Campbell and co who said, ‘this isn’t an art exhibition, you should put more of yourself into the pictures.’ So some are not straight reshoots. I like to think the photography doesn’t get in the way of the architecture, there’s a bit of tension there in putting yourself into it while letting the architect shine as well.”

Unlike Smith McLean found himself handicapped by Edinburgh’s newfound status as a tourism mecca, ironically built in large part on the conservation efforts of the past.

McLean said: “I started doing this in June 2017 and I naively went in the middle of the Edinburgh Festival and just stood in front of millions of people. I was on Waverley Bridge taking a shot of the Bank of Scotland on the mound and this couple came and stood beside me to take the same photograph.

As they walked off I heard the man say ‘I thought I’d better capture it, he looked as if he knew what he was doing!’

Seeking refuge in the witching hours McLean then attempted some early morning recce’s, but soon discovered these nocturnal jaunts presented their own set of difficulties: McLean continued: “I was photographing the Royal College URBAN REALM WINTER 2019 URBANREALM.COM

of Physicians on Queen Street, it was quite an interesting walk at 04:30 on a Sunday morning. A lot of people are going home, not all of them in very good condition. I watched someone light a cigarette and put the lit end in his ear.”

Fortunately, camera technology has come on in leaps and bounds although Smith himself never embraced compact cameras, choosing instead to lug around an antique 1900 mahogany and brass field camera. McLean stated: “He must have presented that image most people have of a man with a cloth over his head and a big camera and heavy tripod. He also liked to photograph on overcast days as he believed that a soft light showed a buildings best detail. I prefer sun and shadow detail, photography is different as it should be. He was very reflective and actually, John Betjeman regarded him as a genius of photography. Eric de Mare was the leading photographer of that period and Smith was right beside him.”

Asked whether McLean had gained a new appreciation for Smith’s work, he replied: “There’s a very interesting photograph called ‘View to Edinburgh Castle from the Crags’, I went one day to reshoot that and I couldn’t quite work out where his horizon over the castle was, which was only a mile away. When I took the picture, I could see the Five Sisters Bing at West Calder and the Forth Bridges. It’s not because I’ve got a better camera, it’s because it was before the clean

© EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY PRESS AND RIBA PHOTOGRAPHS COLLECTION

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air act in 1956 when Edinburgh was called Auld Reekie. What I was seeing in his pictures was smog. When I went to look at more of his pictures I realised you could never see very far because nobody could.”

Another quirk of Smith’s approach was the inability to shoot people as the cameras he was using had too long an exposure. McLean said: “Smith spent his career working for Vogue, he was more of a social documentary man. He photographed miners in the north of England but if you look at his architectural work there are very few people.”

One of the biggest changes has been the traffic which now snarls much of the city, a far cry from the 1960s when movement was far easier. McLean observed: “If you look at Smith’s photographs of Moray Place there is one car. If you go there now it’s a car park. With residents parking at night and paid for parking during the day there’s no such thing now as a clear view of an empty street. I’m not suggesting that’s what we want but the volume of car ownership has increased dramatically.”

Far more important than a mere nostalgic record of a bygone age Smith’s work serves as a reminder of a critical moment in history when much of the new Town might have been lost but for the timely intervention of a passionate group of architects and surveyors, culminating in a pivotal

1970 conference on the future of Georgian Edinburgh at which the city finally committed itself to preservation following a presentation by Youngson.

McLean observed: “At the time even streets like Northumberland Street were being threatened with clearance because they weren’t very well looked after. Very little maintenance had been carried out on the buildings, partly because they were so well built 150 years earlier with Craigleith stone but there was a lot of work needed. It made a lot of people look up and take notice. The book was critical to drawing people’s attention to the New Town and how wonderful it was.”

The key difference is that McLean shoots digitally, something he acknowledges can affect perceptions: “Photography is a much-abused medium and I know that I get a different reaction if I show people images on my iPad rather than a print. There’s a purity to a photograph, it’s just you and the picture. There’s a school of photography that is going back to using film again. I was in a shop watching people listening to music on a £14k turntable and realised it’s not about the sound quality. It’s that analogue experience.”

Is there an argument that digital photography is more disposable and that you can just spray and pray instead of composing shots? “I don’t subscribe to that”, says McLean.

>

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GEORGIAN EDINBURGH

Left - The next 50 years promise even greater change with the new St James Centre already making its presence felt Right - Northumberland Street illustrates the timeless quality of Edinburgh finest addresses

“I’ve heard people say you have to get it right because film is so expensive but that’s no excuse for not doing the job right just because you’re using digital. Pressing the shutter is the last step of the process. I studied with landscape photographer Joe Cornish and one of the things he said when he gets on location was lay down every bit of kit and just walk around. He even suggested taking off your shoes and socks.

“The three ingredients for a picture are content, the clients got to provide that, composition (I can do that) but light is what makes the real difference. If it’s not there I find myself saying it’s not worth it. A lot of architecture is about the play of light on surfaces.”

One street McLean struggled to do justice to was George Street where congestion, twinned with the growing requirements of the Festival and Christmas markets have conspired to thwart the photographer’s best efforts. “I just can’t get it to work”, laments McLean, adding: “The new St James Centre will stick out at the back of it. It’s bound to draw shops out of Princes Street. If you walk along Princes Street there are hardly any high-quality shops. For a street with unrivalled views, that’s quite bizarre. It’s a bit more pedestrian-friendly now because you can’t drive as easily with the trams. I was struck by the amount of tram infrastructure in the form of all the cables.

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“The conservative approach in Edinburgh has probably served it quite well by slowing things down and not blasting forward in the way Glasgow did and has suffered from. In most cases rushing in is not a good idea - just think of a certain political crisis. Don’t rush into it, get it right!” These words find an echo with Clarisse Goddard Desmarest, who writes of the continuing importance of continental links in ‘The New Town of Edinburgh: An Architectural Celebration’: “That Franco-Scottish intellectual connection continues today, almost 50 years after Francois Sorlin, chief inspector of the Centre des Monuments Historiques, argued, in a presentation comparing the New Town to the Marais, that Edinburgh could learn from Paris the need for a strategic plan to avoid decay, problems with traffic, and to prepare for the growth of commercialisation.”

What would Edwin Smith make of the New Town today?

Would he be happy that it’s survived largely unscathed? “I think if he walked along Princes Street, he’d get a fright. But I think he’d be quite surprised at how unchanged it is.” That impression of timelessness certainly becomes more vital as time wears on but McLean cautions against taking things for granted, saying: “It made me look. You just need to look too.”

Classical Edinburgh: Edwin Smith and Colin McLean, Two photographers, Fifty Years Apart, runs at the City Art Centre to 8 March.

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