It was well worth the visit. The architecture of the development  is highly appropriate to the west coast of Scotland . Vernacular in form and contemporary in feel . We especially enjoyed the external use of colour which  roots the buildings  in the Scottish  tradition of coloured buildings in  western seaboard towns.  Internally the spaces  are light, airy and well planned . The individual buildings maximise the spectacular views and sunlight to the south and east. The detail and construction is of a very high standard which enhances the simple forms of the buildings. These are very special places to live in.

One day at Ecobuild is not enough really, but with planning and determined focus I was still able to get a lot out of it, and a bag full of leaflets and samples for our own mini ecobuild over lunch in the office conference table presented by me.

A morning seminar on the take up of Passivhaus design in the UK was stimulating and a good chance to feel the pulse of how this methodology is at last starting to take off here. Then it was on to a heatpump talk; those magic machines that deliver up to five times the energy output in the form of heating and hot water for every one unit of input energy in the form of electricity. We have been specifying them at TRA for some years but there is always new stuff to know; for example due to expected gradual decarbonisation of the grid and carbonisation of gas supplies we should be proposing them on many more sites than we have been, they are not just for the rural jobs.

Next was a surprise to see one of our own projects ( a house called East Cambussmoon) on the TRADA stand, fame at last, and then onward to the Natural Building Technologies standand for their wonderfull earthy, woody, limy, healthy products that always make me want to be a builder and not just an Architect, especialy those giant clay blocks. Big boys lego, I want a shot.

If you are thinking of building, refurbishing or extending bring along your ideas and photos and chat to one of our architects over a glass of wine . This is a free event.

Click on the link for directions.

Be part of next year’s awards with us.

Here at grass roots level we are working hard at the nitty gritty issues of U Values, air tightness and thermal bridging which are equally essential. There are so many options and products on the market for today’s new house builders it is important to have a balanced view and take a holistic approach to what you incorporate into your build. This is where the architect’s knowledge can add real value to your project. We recommend getting in touch with the right architect early on in the process for maximum benefit.