Here’s hoping that we are lucky this year….
Arka at the Scottish Home Awards 2012
Arka are proud to announce that we have been shortlisted for the third year running at the Scottish Home Awards 2012. We have received nominations for a grand total of 5 categories:- Architectural Excellence (housing development), Architectural Excellence (Single House), Conversion of the year, House of the Year and Small affordable housing development of the year. The awards ceremony will take place on Thursday 28th June at the Glasgow Hilton hotel. Keep your eyes peeled and wish us luck! Visit the official Scottish Home Awards website ( http://www.scottishhomeawards.com ) for more info.
Arka recently submitted an entry to the Larbert Loch design competition, run by Architecture and Design Scotland (A+DS) on behalf of the Forestry Commission Scotland and NHS Forth Valley. Click on the images above to have a look at our submission.
‘The Water Rooms’ are born out of blurring the boundary between internal and external space – the land and the sky, the water and the shore.
The apparently random placing of walls and canopies, likened to driftwood on the shore, becomes more tangible as we are lead down to the loch side via timber ramps, through varying ‘transparencies’ of timber fences and walls to the framed views that create The Water Rooms.
As a point of destination, gathering and departure The Water Rooms create a sequence of events and a variety of spaces. Walking alone to find solitude and reflection…meeting with friends to share lunch and a chat….
all kinds of uses can be accommodated at the same time. The light can and does change, hourly, daily, seasonally - the smell of the timber consoles..
The walls reach out towards the loch, inviting it in whilst capturing and framing views to the foreground and the landscape and landmarks in the distance at the same time as being orientated and set against the prevailing wind giving shelter.
It does not initially reveal all its secrets, instead it invites you to engage and explore, question what is external and what is internal, what is secluded and what is open…
Furnished with information, carvings within the wood and visual cues to and around the proposed new pathway, The Water Rooms look to engage with and give back more to the visitor.
A good example of inception to completion with the material palette on a recent project. More to follow soon.
Work is nearing completion on a large detached house in Fife designed by Arka, offering stunning framed views both to the surrounding landscape and the sea beyond. A lighthouse-inspired tower to the rear and a solid sculptural form of masonry and render give this house its presence in the streetscape.
Congratulations are in order for Sandy who picked up another award for his final year university project. The ‘Charles Gourley Memorial Prize’ for a meritorious student in their final year of study now graces his minimal mantelpiece. Well done.
Arka Newsletter.
Arka are about to issue their first newsletter - designed to update clients, colleagues, peers & friends of all the goings on in the Arka studio. We hope this will be a popular bi-monthly issue with info on both our domestic & commercial projects together with some architectural musings (rants, ravings or other wise!) - if you would like to be included on the mailing list then please email us with your preferred email address to info@arka-architects.co.uk and ‘Mail me’ in the subject box.
Just read a brilliant (childrens) book by Partrick Ness: A Monster Calls.
A poignant story about a boy whose mother is dying of cancer. The story is very good but the illustrations by Jim Kay are stunning. Worth buying for the illustrations alone. A beautiful book in every way.
Arka recently created an entry for the RIAS Kelpies Competiton, which aims to find an architect for the design of internal spaces within award winning sculptor Andy Scott’s massive kelpie heads. These towering 30m iconic sculptures are planned to take their place as a landmark feature for the new Helix Environmental Regeneration Scheme on the Forth and Clyde canal near Falkirk. More information on the competition can be found at the RIAS website and more information on the Kelpie heads can be found at their website.
