Blog: Larick Centre
2020 Architect – Collective Architecture Client – Tayport Community Trust The Larick Centre is a new focal point for Tayport, bringing life and an economic boost to the area. Tayport community trust took ownership of the design process allowing their vision to be built and their local needs met. This community hub really is ‘a building by the community, for the community’. The new Larick Centre has been built on a site with an industrial past and this has been reflected in the building’s overall form and material palette. The scale of the project allows for a building response that [...]
Blog: Laidlaw Music Centre
2020 Architect - Flanagan Lawrence Client - University of St Andrews After meeting a potential client on Queens Terrace I stumbled upon the new St Andrews Music School, now open and the first time I’d seen it since the scaffolding was removed. A handsome building and a new piece of Architecture Fife can be proud of. The quad that has been created in front of the Bute building adds to the public realm and enhances the historic building. The Music school mediates the traditional site and a modern building with the use of stone, in keeping with the location, and [...]
Blog: Edinburgh Pavilion
2020 Architect: Archer and Braun The Edinburgh Pavilion is a clean, modern extension to a Category B Listed Victorian building in the central Edinburgh conservation area. Whilst the project was a full house refurbishment, the focus of this is primarily the glass and stone addition to the property. The listed status of the property placed restrictions on the alterations to the existing building. The extensive glazing and seamless paving allows the external spaces and interior to blur together and provides a strong link to the landscaped surrounds. This created a bit of an issue of overheating from solar gain which [...]
Blog: Dundee Contemporary Arts
1999 Architect: Richard Murphy After completing a full 6 years of study at the University of Dundee, it would be almost rude not speak about this building which became a daily sight as you walk from the Matthew building into town for the daily essentials or a visit to Dr Noodles This quiet yet striking piece of scottish architecture sits quietly set back from the Perth road and on the perfect axis of Tay Street. The most interesting part for me is the use of materials, the idea of inserting this new building into the former shell of a former [...]
Blog: Chapel of Saint Albert the Great
2013 Architects: Simpson & Brown This little chapel nestles at the base of the Category A townhouses, obscured from the busy thoroughfare that is the Meadow Walk by the low wall and shrubbery. From personal experience, the quaint chapel is easily missed on ones journey through to the popular green but is well worth a visit. The sandstone-clad clay blocks give the otherwise light building a weighty solid feeling, sitting well within the landscaped surroundings, framing the sanctuary in Oak, masonry and corten steel against a green natural backdrop. The angled windows draw the eye forwards, keeping focus on the [...]
Blog: Cellardyke, Fife
Situated along Fife’s rugged coastline, you find quaint fishing villages hugging the waters edge. Visitors are attracted to the area for a multitude of reasons including the scenic views, expansive coastline and cultural heritage. However the last thing they expect to find is foreign architecture. A noticeable feature to Fife’s architectural language, and that of my own own Cellardyke, is the Flemish influence on roofing types. Centuries past Scotland had strong trading links with Holland and as Fife is situated on an eastern peninsula it found that many Dutch traders who would stop here to trade bright red pantiles for [...]
Kaapo Komulainen
Architect
Born in Finland, Kaapo moved to Scotland to study Architecture, earning his first Master’s degree at the University of Dundee, during which he completed his Part 1 placement in Oslo. He later returned to Finland to complete a second Master’s in Architecture, deepening his expertise in sustainability. In Finland, he worked on projects of various scales and types, from heritage refurbishments to large-scale developments. After returning to Scotland he joined a practice in Glasgow where he contributed to major regeneration work and achieved his Part 3 qualification. His experience spans adaptive reuse, healthcare design, and master planning, with projects ranging [...]
Blog: Bayes Centre
2018 Architect: Bennetts Associates Client: University of Edinburgh The Bayes Centre is a large research institute for the University of Edinburgh. Located in the heart of the City, it has become an iconic landmark of the Uni campus, and a very engaging piece of architecture. The architects have responded well to the street edge condition, using the building form to retain the inner city institutional typology whilst using large atriums and courtyards to provide the otherwise voluminous building with a sense of transparency and light. With striking sightlines within and across the courtyards, the building resents as engaging and navigable, [...]
Jordan Burne
Associate
Jordan has been with the practice since day one, starting as a Part 2 assistant and qualifying as an architect before stepping into his current role as Associate. His project experience spans commercial refurbishments, fit-outs, civic buildings, hospitality, retail, and residential work, including sensitive adaptations and upgrades to listed and historically significant buildings. Originally from Zimbabwe, he moved to the UK to study architecture, earning his Bachelor’s degree at University of Dundee and completing his Part 1 where he gained experience in Retail and Student residential sectors. Jordan went on to complete his Master’s in Architecture with Urban Planning where [...]
Dan Tinto
Associate
Dan has previously worked for practices in Eindhoven, Edinburgh and most recently London. His previous experience includes working for a large architectural practice, working on projects with challenging briefs for a wide range of clients including local authorities; private developers; universities; and housing associations. He recently relocated to Glasgow where he joined RKA at the beginning of 2023. He obtained a first class honours degree in Architectural Technology in Aberdeen and went on to study Architecture at the Mackintosh school of Architecture in Glasgow. He completed his part 3 education at the University of Westminster in 2017. Dan is passionate [...]
