Work is well underway at the 'Egg Shed' in Ardrishaig, where our Heritage & Community Hub for Scottish Canals will be taking shape over the coming months. Check out our instagram for regular project updates
DesignDunfermline2018 preparations get underway /
OCA are delighted to be working with Dunfermline Heritage Partnership and others to help deliver DesignDunfermline2018 - a series of public events over four days at the end of April. The local community - with the help of a team including facilitators, urban designers, architects, landscape architects and transport consultants - will create a design led solution for the regeneration of Dunfermline town centre.
Preparations are well underway with pre-charrette activities taking place across the town as well as discussions with local groups including the Community Council.
For more information, check out
www.dunfermline.com
DesignDunfermline2018
#DesignDunfermline2018
Extension to Arts & Crafts house receives Planning and Listed Building Consent /
OCA are delighted to be be working with clients who own an Arts & Crafts house in Trinity, Edinburgh. It is a great opportunity to interpret that tradition, forming nooks with a new perimeter edge spaces and stepping the section underneath an over-sailing roof.
The use of materials such as Douglas fir, Petersen brick and copper will continue the craftsmanship of the existing house. Care has been taken to make the new copper roof respond to the existing cascade of roof planes at the rear, locking it into the building’s geometry and opening the house up to the garden.
Planning and Listed Building Consent have been granted
Planning submitted for Union Canal moorings in Linlithgow /
OCA are working with Scottish Canals to take forward their 'Living on Water' programme, starting with residential moorings on the Union Canal in Linlithgow. It is an imaginative alternative to regular house building in the Central Belt.
OCA 20: Celebrating 20 years with pop-up exhibition /
Twenty years of Oliver Chapman Architects is more than cause for a celebration! We recently took over Edinburgh's atmospheric Trinity Apse and hosted a pop-up exhibition of models and drawings from 20 projects past and present. Thanks to everyone who came along - it was a great evening of interesting conversation in a truly unique space.
Oliver Chapman Architects gains RIBA Chartered Practice status /
We have recently become a RIBA Chartered Practice. This formal accreditation demonstrates our commitment to quality and shows our clients and colleagues within the construction industry that we achieve excellence in design, business management, and service delivery.
Celebrating 20 years of Oliver Chapman Architects: 20 Years 20 Projects /
This autumn we're excited to be celebrating 20 years of Oliver Chapman Architects. We'll be hosting a pop-up exhibition of drawings and models of 20 projects past and present, first in the atmospheric setting of Edinburgh's Trinity Apse before having it on show in our office shopfront in the months to come.
OCA feature in 2020 Visions /
Two of our projects have been selected to appear in the new RIAS publication '2020 Visions: Best Housing in Scotland 2000-2020'. Both our affordable housing development at Swinton and our Todlaw Supported Housing in Duns will form part of the publication, which is being produced as part of the Festival of Architecture 2017.
Rose Court receives Planning Permission /
Oliver Chapman Architects' design for new affordable housing in Galashiels has been granted Planning Permission. The scheme features 10 new affordable housing units which form a gently-curving crescent looking across the valley to the Eildon Hills.
Kincardine Charrette ends with exhibition of ideas /
OCA have enjoyed spending the past four days with the people of Kincardine, working alongside our team of architects, landscape architects, designers, artists and development experts to gather together local people's thoughts on how to improve the town. Yesterday we held an exhibition at the community centre as a first look at what can come out of the charrette process.
It's been great to see the community get so engaged and we're hopeful that this can lead to future improvements. There have been lots of suggestions including de-trunking the North Approach Road that currently forms a barrier across the town, and creating new physical and visual connections to the waterfront.
The charrette, organised by Coalfields Regeneration Trust, was led by our team including Kevin Murray Associates, Wave Particle, HarrisonStevens, Context Economics, Colin Ross Workshop and John McIlhagger Associates.
Kincardine Charrette gets off to a great start /
It's the end of our first day of workshops in Kincardine and we're already having some great discussions about how to harness the town's potential. Looking forward to the next few days as we continue to work with the local community to create a positive vision for the future.
Architecture Fringe 2017 Sponsors /
We are proud to be sponsors of Scotland's second Architecture Fringe, and to be able to support the interesting, varied and vital dialogues raised through a series of exhibitions, talks, performances and other events which will be held at locations across Scotland throughout July.
"Initiated by a group of architects, designers, photographers, engineers, visual artists, curators and musicians the Architecture Fringe is an independent, contributor-led series of events and projects across the arts which explores architecture and how it makes a difference to our lives."
We can't wait to take part in this year's exciting programme of events! More information can be found via the architecture fringe website.
Go Forth Kincardine - Pre-Charrette activities /
With just over a week to go before we travel to Kincardine for four days of intensive workshops, our colleagues at WAVEparticle have already started engaging with local people in the town.
One of the many ways in which the team are gathering the community's thoughts is by getting locals of all ages to mark a large map of the town with gold stars for places that work well and red dots for places that need improvement. This exercise will help to shape the discussions to come by identifying common areas of concern and themes to address.
OCA selected to run the Kincardine Charrette /
OCA are delighted to have been selected to lead a team for this series of community engagement events organised by the Coalfields Regeneration Trust, the project's sponsors with support from Fife Council. This follows on from the success of the similar events for the Crinan Canal in Mid Argyll last year.
Kincardine has had a close relationship to the River Forth for work, originally with saltpans, fishing & shipbuilding and later for generating power, and also as a strategic river crossing. Despite having charm and historic value, its town centre is commonly over looked by passing traffic. The charrette events will bring the community together to explore this issue and consider how to connect its neighbourhoods together better and ensure the centre thrives with life and enterprise.
The team includes Kevin Murray Associates, Wave Particle, HarrisonStevens, Context Economics, Colin Ross Workshop and John McIlhagger Associates.
Architects Journal Small Projects - shortlist /
Our project at Laggan Locks for Scottish Canals, delivered in collaboration with SM-GM, is shortlisted for the AJ small projects award. Winners are announced later this Spring.
Kiosk at Laggan Locks given High Commendation at IAA Awards 2016 /
OCA were delighted to receive a high commendation award on behalf of Sean Douglas and Gavin Murray for their project at the head of Loch Lochy in the Great Glen. Winners of the Scottish Government's competition for projects along Scotland's promoted national Scenic Routes, this project provides visitor facilities (cafe kiosks, showers and toilets) alongside the Caledonian Canal. Oliver Chapman Architects provided professional support for this delightful project.
Oliver Chapman to speak at the Inverness Architectural Convention 4th Nov 2016 /
Oliver will be speaking at this year’s IAA convention at Eden Court Theatre, Inverness. Invited speakers include Kengo Kuma, Karen Anderson, Rod Duncan, Colin Harris, Lateral North, Lucy Richards and Fiona Sinclair.
A link to the programme is available here and places can be booked by emailing bookings @highlandarchitects.org
Book a night in one of our canal side bothies /
Scottish Canals are taking bookings for our two bothies at Laggan Locks. If you test one out, let us know what you think. Visit their booking website here
Watch our videos of our charrette for the Crinan Canal /
Great attendance at our Crinan Charrette /
It's only day two of our charrette for the Crinan Canal and we've already broken this year's record for best attended charrette. Lots of positive ideas, particularly regarding Ardrishaig and Lochgilphead's great waterfronts.