Cumbernauld Village Children’s House

Cumbernauld Village Children’s House was completed in September 2009, with the official opening in November. This is the third children’s House completed for North Lanarkshire Council’s Social Work department this year and marks the succesful completion of an ambitious modernisation programme which has taken nearly 5 years.

The rich pallette of materials employed in this project was infuenced by the mix of materials found in the village context.

The form is derived through a mix of site constraints and the requirements of the brief. Two courtyards provide safe play areas open diectly into a commnal living space. The white rendered object houses a quiet room and a similar room houses the resource room in the neighbouring courtyard.

The large communal living area opens on both sides to the courtyards and provides a flexible living space which is easily supevised without being overbearing. The houses are home to children of varying ages and designed to provide a safe place they can call home for however long they are there.

 

Image for Architecture Scotland Annual 2009

the howff: Venice Biennale 2008

This was our entry to the competition for the first Scottish Pavilion for the 2008 Venice Biennale. The budget set for the pavillion was £75,000 and was for a temporary pavilion to hold a series of lectures and debates as well as showcase Scottish Architecture during the festival. The design was derived from various Scottish sources and was seen as a space to walk through as well as stop in, as the theoretical site was one of Venice’s many Piazzas.

perspective

elevations and section

Thorniewood Credit Union

We were approached by a local Credit Union to help them with designs for a new premises to cope with an increase in customers. A site was identified in the heart of the community that the credit union serves and through a process of understanding the services provided and visiting other successful projects in the district we developed proposals for Thorniewood.

Proposed entrance view

The building envelope is developed from a singular distinct form that relates the the scale and typology of the surrounding residential contect. A glazed element is inserted into the main body of the building to provide natural light into the public area while still maintaining privacy and security.

Zinc cladding is used to express the ground floor element of the building which is contrasted against timber cladding which softens the visual impact of the zinc.

Entrance to the building is articulated by a protruding brick wall supporting the roof glazing.

The intention is to provide modern secure premises for the organisation that sits well within the community that it serves.

proposed elevation

Graphic Design

Along with architectural and interior design we offer design services which include logo design, marketing brochures, poster campaigns and t-shirt design. We have also designed school ties and badges for newly formed secondary schools.

Poster Designed for Glasgow Institute of Architects AGM and Annual Lecture 2009

Poster designed for Military Heritage Scotland, an organisation set up to promote the establishment of a Military Museum within Scotland, advertising the first display of the uniform and equipment used by the newly formed Royal Regiment of Scotland

Wellwynd

Work has commenced on the redevelopment of Old Wellwynd Church in Airdrie into a Community Business Hub incorporating office space, conference facilities and a healthy living shop and cafe.

project model

We have attempted to maintain as many original features as possible and have created an open atrium at the entrance foyer to maintain the sense of volume within the Church.

The new build element has been designed as a contemporary addition and is separated from the original building by a glazed stairway providing a clear delineation between the two buildings. A raised element is designed to Wellwynd which addresses this historical street and provides a counter balance to the height and mass of the Church.

A landscaped walkway along the front of the building will allow the space to be used during the summer.

The building is due to be complete Summer 2010

elevation

Junior Hospitality Academy, Cardinal Newman

‘Snapdragon’ restaurant was created for Cardinal Newman High School as part of a facility to teach commercial catering and fine dining at High School Level. The project has proved highy popular and successful picking up ‘College Restaurant of the Year’ award. Although designing within a secondary school we treated the project in the same way we would  approach a commercial restaurant design to produce a facility truly reflective of modern catering establishments from the kitchen to the front of house. GCA also designed the ‘Snapdragon’ logo and created the mural decorating the main dining space.

Snapdragon

Our involvement with the school has continued with the design of sixth year social spaces along with pupils from the school.

Illand house

The brief for this project called for the modernisation of the interior of a 1930’s bungalow and to provide ideas for extending the property. The roof space had already been extended into, however the rooms were small, cramped, poorly lit with the access stair positioned using up most of what should have been a dining room.

By rethinking the internal layout a plan was developed that would turn the property from a 3 apartment to a 5 apartment property. The new plan would also provide flexible living that is suitable for a young professional couple who like to entertain on a regular basis and can accommodate a growing family as time goes on.

Kitchen window

The fixed windows to the kitchen area are designed to give views of the garden both while working in the kitchen (vertical window) and while seated at the dining table (horizontal window),always linking inside with out while still maintaining a degree of privacy. The selection of external materials was informed by the colours and tones of the garden. Copper is used for the roof which will change colour over time and oak effect cladding is composed around the window elements. The anthracite colour selected for the doors and windows was selected to contrast against the oak cladding creating sharp clean lines in the elevation.

Cladding

Jarvie House

The clients brief called for the rear of the existing property to be consolidated into an open-plan living, dining and kitchen arrangement with additional floor area to be provided by an extension to the rear of the property. Their brief also called for an external garden area that could be utilised for outdoor social events and benefited from a degree of coverage to provide protection from the elements. Incorporating a covered external cooking area was a feature that excited the client as organising social events is a big part of their lives and they wanted to have a scheme that enabled enjoyment of the garden all year round.

Garden View

The alterations and extension to the house have been designed in a manner that takes its inspiration from existing materials, forms and shapes in the surrounding area. The design has also been influenced by the very real and particular needs of the client. We have attempted to work in a manner that respects the conservation area whilst generating simple design moves that respond intelligently to the requirements of the clients brief.

Interior View

Rear Viiew

Strathaven

A contemporary Kitchen/Dining/Living extension to a sandstone semi-detached house in Strathaven. Approximately 35sqm the extension has been designed to form a small decked courtyard where children can play safely. A mixture of zinc, cedar and render finishes are used contrasting with the victorian architecture of the house.

Original Design