WELCOME TO THE WINTER 2022 NEWSLETTER OF RICHARD MURPHY ARCHITECTS
NEWS OF EXISTING PROJECTS
New National Centre for Music, Edinburgh
The project took a major step forward this month with the granting of planning and listed building consent and the signing of an enabling contract by the Royal High School Preservation Trust. This allows the trust to proceed with the demolition of all the non-Thomas Hamilton buildings on the site as well as excavations within the historic building. The image shows the new entrance pavillion which forms a gatehouse to the school.
New house at Gullane almost complete
Our clients moved into the house in October and the building has now been virtually completed. They are now setting about the landscaping. The story of the construction of the house has been documented by our clients on their blog.
Papple Steading, East Lothian
Revisions to a previous planning permission should be considered by East Lothian Council in early January. Meanwhile, work continues in developing the design anticipating work to start on this £6M project in June 2023.
Lemon Tree Arts Venue, Aberdeen
A pre-application has been submitted to Aberdeen Council and we hope to follow that up with a full planning application in the New Year. Image shows the new front entrance, cafe and, on the first floor, new rehearsal facilities.
NEWS OF PROJECTS ON SITE
Greenock Ferry Terminal & The Wyllieum
Our project for the Wyllieum, Scott's Restaurant and cruise liner terminal is cruising towards completion. The restaurant fit out begins in the New Year and the building as a whole is projected to be open in April 2023. Image shows the terrace adjacent to the Clyde looking from the Wyllie wing to the Peel Ports wing.
Macmillan Hub and North Edinburgh Arts
Progress so far has been the completion of the steel frame and the form of the building is now recognisable. The next major milepost will be completion of the floor slabs. The image is taken from a drone, courtesy of Christopher Scott of Hescott Engineering Ltd and Robertson Construction. The drone movie can be viewed here.
Maggie's Garden Room
Almost finished is possibly our smallest (but by no means the least important) project. This is the construction of a garden room at the Maggie's Centre at the Western General Hospital. It is the culmination of our idea to incorporate some unused hospital ground into making a new garden (designed by Emma Keswick) as part of the recent building phase. The path down the garden now terminates in this tiny building which is designed in the same vocabulary as the existing and is to be used for 1:1 consultation, small groups and individual visits. The building is being constructed and funded by the Mickel family (of Mactaggart and Mickel Housebuilders) in memory of the late Mrs Mickel.
NEW FILMHOUSE, EDINBURGH
Obviously, we are as sorry as everyone else to see the Centre for the Moving Image (the parent body of the Edinburgh Filmhouse) go into liquidation. The timing was particularly unfortunate as we were two weeks away from resubmitting our planning application for the new Filmhouse on Festival Square. Without a client it is impossible to submit a planning application and without a planning permission it is impossible to fundraise for the project. Nonetheless we remain optimistic that a phoenix will arise. We also believe that the fundamental business case for the new building was sound and that, once built, it would be financially sustainable, would have become a major cultural attraction within Edinburgh and a landmark for the city's international film profile and the film festival.
RICHARD MURPHY ARCHITECTS IN THE PRESS
RTE broadcast a piece on his house in Hart St as part of the series "Dermot Bannon's Incredible Homes." The American programme "Make Yourself at Home" also broadcast about the house.
The house also hosted a visit by 40 first year students from Sheffield University in November and will be visited by 30 Belgian architects in June as part of a tour of contemporary Scottish architecture.
Image shows Dermot Bannon and Richard at Hart Street.
LECTURES
In November Richard spoke to Dundee students about public buildings the practice has designed. He also lectured (partially in French!) in Lyon to the French school of architecture about the work of Scarpa.
And in the New Year, the Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland have invited him to present a lecture about the proposals for the Royal High School (to be known as the National Music Centre) and other works to historic buildings. This will take place on Monday 9th January, 2023 at St Augustine's, George IV Bridge at 6.30pm. Tickets for both in-person and on-line via zoom can be bought here.
AND FINALLY...GOING, GOING, GONE!
The late Isi Metzstein invented a spoof "club" for architects who have had their buildings demolished in their own lifetime. Called the Macallan Club after his favourite tipple we had hoped to avoid membership but sadly our very first venture into commercial office design came down in Glasgow in November. In 1998 we won a competition to design a new foyer on the front of the former Health Board Building in Glasgow. One of the clients, Scott Gibson, Director of Allermuir Estates who was on the interview committee commenting on the demolition said "I remember this project like it was yesterday. We ran a small architectural competition which RMA won hands down. It was a very clever yet simple solution to what was a very tricky entrance. Shame to see it go". Sadly the entire building, including our foyer, was demolished in November 2022 to make way for new student housing.
BREAKFAST MISSION NEWS
We are losing a tenant who have outgrown their accommodation here so we have two rooms for rent in the creative community that forms the Breakfast Mission.
One room is 65 sq m in size and one is 16 sq m and both are free from 1st February 2023, possibly earlier. Enquires welcome to Pauline tel: 0131 220 6125 / mail@richardmurphyarchitects.com.
WE WISH ALL OUR PAST AND CURRENT CLIENTS, COLLEAGUES AND NEWSLETTER READERS A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS.
Image shows our project for a new house at Braid Hills Approach, as a bauble designed by the project architect Calum Dalgetty
Our office will be closed from 24 Dec 2022 - 4 January 2023
