MAP

Brodie Castle Visitor Centre.
Really admiring the attention to detail on this deceptively simple looking building. Every junction has been thought about, from the timber cladding and window openings to the sawtooth ridgeline. Beautiful.

Photos from a recent site visit to Lossiemouth.

This town is a hidden gem.

An amazing beach, a lovely town, cute fishing cottages hidden down tiny lanes, and fighter jets soaring overhead.

I first visited here many years ago when working for as a set designer and stage hand. Been waiting to come back!

Save Money

Save Energy

Save the Environment

With the staggering rise bills and energy costs, the best way to save money this winter is to use less energy.

Heating your home accounts for the largest single energy use in your home, often between 45% and 75% of you energy use in the average Scottish home. This makes it the easiest single target when looking to reduce your bills.

By insulating your walls, floors, roof or windows, known as the ‘building fabric’ you can reduce the amount of heat lost to the outside world and therefore reduce the amount of heat and energy you need to produce to keep your home warm.

This if often called the ‘Fabric First’ approach.

The aim is to focus on minimising the energy needed for heating first, before looking at heat pumps, solar or other methods of producing heat. With an insulated and efficient building fabric, you have more options available when looking at heat sources.

We can help you achieve this with our Energy Saving Appraisal where we visit your home and help you work out the best ways to make your home cosy and energy efficient for the winter.

Bi it a detached house, a listed building or a rented flat, there is a range of suitable improvements we can suggest, from thick curtains to a whole house retrofit.

Send us a private message, email us at [email protected], or have a look at our services on www.maparch.co.uk/services

An old design for beachside tower house holiday accommodation. Using it to test out some photos and filming options.

Bearsden House

A modern take on the mid-century bungalow that is common in the suburbs all around Scotland.

The design uses the ubiquitous low-pitched pyramidal roof with large overhanging eaves as the driver of the form. Below this roof, the design is a mix of traditional rooms to the left and a more modern open-plan layout to the right, all accessed from a central double height central hallway. The rooms to the left house more enclosed areas, such as bedrooms, home-offices and bathrooms, while the kitchen-living-dining areas are in the open-plan areas with great views and connections to the garden and lots of natural light.

By matching the vernacular with the modern, this design can cherry pick the best of each to create a home that is fit for modern life.

I love working with existing buildings.

This project is a diamond in the rough, with lots of beautiful hidden details. Sometimes it takes a gentle hand and delicate alterations to reveal the true beauty of a place.

Location Location Location is how the saying goes.

Island settlements are often strewn across the open landscape, with buildings tucked into pockets between rocks or where the land is flat and dry enough to build on. This give the appearance of a ribbon of roofs that are an intrinsic part of the landscape.

Arinagour is a great example of this loose urban settlement form.

Extension to a family home, West End, Glasgow

Designed to maximise the available space on a narrow, constrained plot. The extension is designed to be adaptable as either a self-contained flat, or linked to the main house.

The priority was to give the main rooms the best light and space possible. This was done by creating a compact shower room which slots underneath the stairs, minimising the circulation space. The open stairs allow light to trickle down from above while the large picture windows provide garden views.

Executive Architects: John Gilbert Architects