Architecture Practice, BAILTEAN AILTEIREACHD ’S RÙM DÀNACH:
TOWNSHIPS, ARCHITECTURE & The ROOM of POETICS

COMANN EACHDRAIDH SGÌRE A' BHAC

Context

The site of the former school in the district of Back, Isle of Lewis, has been a vacant wound in the area ever since the school buildings were removed.  It is a site of emotional connection and historical association, with many having either being educated there or being related to those who were.  Situated on the main road through the district, nearby to a popular local business cluster including a shop to one end, and the large Free Church to the other, the site is ripe for development to bring back into public use for the benefit of the community. 

Comann Eachdraidh Sgire a’ Bhac have identified this site for a new heritage centre, a brief that would satisfy a long overdue need for a local meeting place that will conserve and record the local history of the area.  It is envisioned that the new construction will be welcoming, friendly and fully accessible to all. 

Architecture
Ruairidh Moir - Architect
Gordon McGregor - Senior Architect
Charles Tulley - Architectural Assistant
Ciaran Gallagher - Architectural Assistant
Andrew Lang - Architectural Assistant

Location
Back, Isle of Lewis

Client
Comann Eachdraidh Sgìre a' Bhac

Quantity Surveyor
IMQS

Allocation
2020

Status
Planning

A long, linear plan is devised stretching from front to back of the site.  An entrance is positioned midway down this span within a fold of walls towards the east, aligning to the chimney and heart of the plan.  Upon entering the selection of options is immediately apparent – public zones such as the kitchen and exhibition / gathering areas open out and are framed by a ridge light that directs western light deep into the volume.  Subsidiary accommodation and the archive are located to the rear, where the strong enveloping roof form is folded downwards.

We have devised the building to anchor it into the streetscape, creating considered public space around and integrating directly to the street allowing a visual connection to the immediate environs as well as the further context such as the church, the shoreline and reefs at Vatisker looking towards the Minch and the Sutherland mountains as well as the inland Loch a’ Tuath.  Nearby Lighthill was used by sailors to navigate by night in Loch a’ Tuath, we anticipate that Comann Eachdraidh Sgire a’ Bhac will be a renewed beacon in the landscape, establishing its presence on this significant site once again.

Process

Client

Ruairidh and his team are consistently cooperative and supportive with all aspects of the project and are always ready to help with any challenges encountered, over and above the call of duty. We feel we can approach the team at any time when needing advice in any aspect of the process in bringing the project to life. Ruairidh is extremely creative but at the same time his innovative designs are practical and grounded. He is very willing to listen to the ideas of others and adapt them into his designs.
- Anna Tucker, Chair CEBac

Drawings

Planning

A VESSEL OF CHRONICLES AND VOYAGES
We propose a building as a campus, placed on the shore line and creating a kind of landscape that evokes the qualities of this place.  Large blocks are anchored against sheltering walls, like ships come into harbour. We propose a dynamic and exploratory building, blending historical narrative with a forward-thinking approach. The vessel navigates through time, filled with chronicles and opportunities for new voyages.    

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BERNERAY MANSE
Building on our work at nearby Trumaisgearraidh, we have been commissioned to assist with renovation plans to bring the building back into habitable use as well as adapting the house sympathetically to reflect the needs of modern domestic life. 

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QUEENS CROSS CHURCH
Queens Cross Church is a Grade A listed building, designed by the renowned architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh. It no longer serves its function of a church, however continues to be used as a base for the Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society.

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COMANN EACHDRAIDH SGÌRE A' BHAC
The site of the former school in the district of Back, Isle of Lewis, has been a vacant wound in the area ever since the school buildings were removed.  It is a site of emotional connection and historical association, with many having either being educated there or being related to those who were.

See full project >

COMUNN EACHDRAIDH NIS
Reinvigorating a civic Building by transforming the 1878 former Cross School buildings on the Isle of Lewis into a modern museum facility.

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CRUACHAN BEAG
Reinhabiting a ruin. On the Isle of Eriskay, a two-celled stone bothy lain in a ruinous state situated on a spectacular promontory, was a favourite for onlookers to photograph. This structure was formerly a home, and may later have become a dairy shed. What was clear, however, was that numerous adaptations had been made over time to the building.

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CARLOWAY MILL - Proposals for a Harris Tweed Textile Mill in the Outer Hebrides. The Carloway Mill produces its own yarns and patterns before the beams are sent out to crofters to weave on traditional looms. Following this, the woven textile returns to the mill for meticulous checking, washing, steaming and warping.

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EDINBURGH TOWNHOUSE
Our design proposes modifications to the kitchen and dining areas of the property to the rear garden, examining the property holistically in relation to the building character and function.

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GALLAN HEAD MASTERPLAN
During the cold war the MOD took the headland into their possession to establish a major surveillance including accommodation for around 200 people. This headland and the buildings associated, remained in military control until 2010. The Gallan head community trust has since taken possession of this headland buildings.

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IONAD EILEAN NA H-ÒIGE
The location that inspired Whisky Galore and the site of Bonnie Prince Charlie’s first Scottish landfall, the Isle of Eriskay has an incredibly rich and eclectic history. Affectionately known as ‘Eilean h- Òige’ (the isle of youth), Eriskay was only first populated after the Highland Clearances and has a relatively short history of inhabitants, but a history that could rival any of its neighbours.

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ARTISTS STUDIO
PLACING LIGHT ATOP THE HILL
Across the Outer Hebrides, patterns of former habitations punctuate the landscape. In the case of Lemreway, a remarkable collection of blackhouses sit elevated above the new village, quite forgotten despite their prominent position overlooking the village.

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LOBSTER HOUSE. Positioning a new home on a narrow ledge between bedrock and a blackhouse ruin. What to do on a challenging site to amplify the found qualities of the place.

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CROWNING THE CITY - “Rock, Water, Wood and Space” symbolises the natural environment of Finland. The nodes in the landscape is imbued with history and traces of past existences which can be read and understood when presented. Much like a fine Malt Whisky, the landscape provides ingredients for multiple interpretations and close associations between people and their environment.

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WINDYHILL. Building on Mackintosh - Windyhill was the first prototype house from world renowned Scottish architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh and is his last remaining project still used for its own original purpose.

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HOUSE FOR AN ARCHAEOLOGIST - Building in and of the land. We have also taken cues from extensive analysis of key archaeological sites in the locality, such as Skara Brae and Maeshowe in relation to composition of geometry as well as key drivers and components in relation to the arrangement of domestic life.

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