An RIBA Award for Mews House at Circus Lane, Edinburgh
We are delighted to announce that we are one of only three practices in Scotland awarded an RIBA Award in their 2007 Awards Scheme. The house for Lesley and Brian Knox is our fifteenth RIBA Award (one for each year of the practice’s existence!) and it represents a record certainly within Scotland and places the practice in the very top of the UK’s RIBA Awards league.
This Award is particularly pleasing since it is the final chapter in a long struggle to gain planning permission. Twice refused by the Planning Committee Councillors, with advice from Historic Scotland that “Circus Lane does not need a trophy building by Richard Murphy”, the Award is as much a recognition of our Clients’ magnificent determination to go all the way to the expensive and time consuming process of a planning appeal and to stand up to a campaign of nimbyism organised by some neighbours.
The Awards jury citation reads - “As with other projects by Richard Murphy, the colour and detailing are intense and thoroughly engaging and, although there are inevitable references to Carlo Scarpa, this is clearly an original work that far exceeds the normal standard of new domestic architecture. Seeing the completed house, it is hard to imagine why so many obstructions were placed in the way of the planning applications. As a template for sensitive but uncompromisingly modern urban infill within an historic street, Edinburgh’s City planners could do much worse than look to this small project for inspiration.”
A Competition Win in Inverness
The Highland Housing Fair is aiming to develop a site outside Inverness with innovative and highly energy conscious houses. The site is divided into plots and we are delighted to announce that we have won the competition with our design for CALA Homes for one of those plots. Work will now start on building the site and the whole exhibition of houses will be ready for the public in August 2009. Our project envisages an “upside down” house, heavily insulated with window shutters and a ridge roof light with folding ceiling panels. More details can be seen on the newly created webpage.
New Commissions
We have been asked to design a house at Loch Tummel for private Client, Kate Lackie, and this has now been submitted to Perth and Kinross Planning Department. The house takes advantage of stunning views to the south of the loch, with a long row of rooms gradually built into the slope of the hill. More details can be seen on the newly created webpage.
Together with Hazel MacLean, we are looking at a very exciting possibility for a new railway station and commercial development for Dundee as part of the overall rejuvenation of the Dundee waterfront.
Shortlisting for Four New Commissions
The practice has been shortlisted for three educational developments: a competition for a new arts centre for Wells Cathedral School, a major extension to St Andrews University Library and a masterplan for the future of Dollar Academy. We have also been shortlisted for the New Corporate Headquarters for Longford County Council in the Republic of Ireland.
Dunfermline Museum
All the competition entries from the six architects can be viewed at the Carnegie Library at the centre of Dunfermline until Saturday 23rd June (opening times - Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 9.30-7.00; Wednesday & Saturday 9.30-5.00). Unfortunately, the competition is anonymous, so visitors will enjoy playing a guessing game as to which architect designed which entry! After the announcement of the result which we expect in July, we will publish our entry on our website.
News of Buildings on Site
Work has started on site for two long term projects. Housing for Molendinar Park Housing Association on the Gallowgate in Glasgow and our two new buildings for the University of East London at their Stratford Campus. The contractors are CCG (Scotland) Ltd and Dean Dyball Construction Ltd respectively.
The anticipated completion date for the Glasgow Housing is October 2008 and at the University of East London September 2008.
Meanwhile, we show two pictures of projects relatively well advanced at opposite ends of the country. Firstly is the Group Practice at Liberton Bank which is three months away from completion, and secondly, is our housing at Newhall, Harlow, which is to be officially launched by Peter Ainsworth, MP, Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Forthcoming Lectures
On 12 June Richard will be speaking to Elected Members of Glasgow City Council on the subject of contextual design and design drivers behind the practice’s design concept and on the evening of Friday 15 June he will open the Robert Gordon University Architectural Degree Show in Aberdeen.
Richard has also been asked to speak about the implications in respect of design of new planning legislation on the second day of the SPEL (Scottish Planning and Environmental Law) Conference which runs from 21 to 22 June at the Learning Conference Centre, Dunfermline
Later in the year, on the evening of 7 November, Richard is to speak to Patrons of Sir John Soane’s Museum as part of a new ‘Robert Adam’ Exhibition being in the autumn at the Museum.
Press
We were very pleased to see Oloroso appearing on the front cover of Friday edition of The Times “Bricks and Mortar” colour supplement on 27 April. The story was about the rising prices of property in Scotland and shows the fantastic view of Edinburgh Castle which can be seen from the restaurant’s balcony.
The Evening News featured our 2007 RIBA Award winning house at Circus Lane, Edinburgh - entitled “House that council rejected twice wins architecture prize” and quotes one neighbour as saying - “I’m impressed with how it looks. It’s a quiet mews street, so putting something new there was always going to be controversial, but it fits in nicely with the rest of the buildings.”
And Finally......
More than half the office conquered Ben Nevis on a weekend away last month - here is the picture to prove it!
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