Perched on the south bank of the River Tay, this contemporary villa provides a new family home for a growing family and commands dramatic views across the Tay Estuary, Invergowrie Bay and onwards over the Sidlaw Hills. The warm yet minimal design bookends a traditional Victorian street lined with semi-detached sandstone villas.
The concept design focused on two significant principles. The design should capture the setting summer sun and provide contrasting open views from all spaces of the river Tay estuary to the north west and mature woodland garden to the south.
Aim’s principal design philosophy was to encourage a seamless interaction of internal and external spaces at every opportunity. To enable spaces to physically spill out into the garden and river, as well as garden spaces to become part of living areas.
The open plan nature of the living levels has been created to meet the needs of a family with teenage demands and a village social life. Kitchen, living, dining and snug spaces overlap and remain independent via half and full height dividing walls. A working studio is situated on the top floor capturing ever-changing views over the Invergowrie Bay and the bedroom, guest attic and entertainment spaces on the upper levels have increased privacy.
This modern residence situated at West Meadows outside the Perthshire village of Longforgan has been designed to afford its owners optimum views of its picturesque setting. With a mature forest backdrop and extensive views of the Tay valley, a glass topped walkway connects the two upper wings of the house and spills light into the centre of the house via a large roof lantern. Its form, which echoes the simple shapes of the Scottish vernacular, creates a minimalist aesthetic that is punctuated by large areas of glazing. Low maintenance white render and high performance anodised silver glazing combined with cement tile cladding complete the external skin of the house to ensure maintenance requirements are minimised.
Throughout the inside of the house, sightlines are developed that offer glimpses across the spaces and into the garden beyond. The ground floor kitchen, dining area and lounge revolve around a dark brick hearth fireplace that forms the hub of the living spaces. A palette of white render and glass combined with warm natural hardwoods and ceramic creates a contemporary yet homely interior.
“The simplicity of the design has created an open, modern, and warm house with commanding views of the Tay Valley - a simply lovely house to live in” - Shirley and Dave Wallace
This four bedroom house is located in the middle of the Carbeth Estate overlooking the dramatic Scottish Campsie Fells. The building focuses on the hills and the interior spaces were to be modern with a hint of rustic charm. The prominence of the site and its rural location presented sensitivities relating to planning regulations which required careful consideration early in the design process. The developed proposal has strong links to the local vernacular, creating a simple form which has been orientated to take advantage of its location. The large glazed gable end captures a dramatic view of the Campsie Hills. Scottish larch timber cladding provides the building with natural warmth that helps to blend with the hues of the fells surrounding it, making this a sensitive and successful addition to the area’s built landscape.
Simple material choices of ash, western red cedar, oak and polished resin cement are enriched with vibrant tile choices in warm greens and reds. The master bedroom has a large glass window capturing the view of the fells beyond and overlooking the open plan kitchen and living spaces below. A mix of suspended pendants, rustic rugs, memory wall pictures and reclaimed furniture combine with the simple internal finishes to complete this warm and eclectic family home.
“You feel like you are working with people who care as much about your house as their own” - Helen and Mick McTernan
As part of a competition run by the Highland Housing Association, Aim won the opportunity to build on a prime plot within the site of the Scottish Housing Expo, working closely with Cadell2 to develop this innovative house prototype.
Woodrock is a bold living space of 2 boxes of honest industry, one in timber skin floating above the other in white, resulting in a crisp, modern aesthetic. The energy efficient house is open plan and contains a central void, trapping heat in the thermal mass of a central masonry wall. The common spaces interlock and encourage unity, warmth, and sharing. Spaces open onto the village green side in contrast to the private garden elevation of open and transparent glazing, addressing the building’s role as a fundamental part of the village hierarchy.
The external materials were chosen particularly to minimise future maintenance. Trespa veneer panels and smooth white render combine with high performance triple glazed windows and doors. The combination of a highly insulated external building skin and photovoltaic renewables delivered a house with annual energy cost of circa £300.
Dating back to the mid 1800s, and with strong ties to Dundee’s mercantile history, Chesterhill House strikes a formidable figure on its cliff-side site. However, following years of neglect and dereliction, the once proud manor home has fallen into disrepair. It was from here that it was purchased by our client with the ambition of restoring and extending the house to create a high-quality family home.
The largest part of the proposal involves the renovation and restoration of the existing 1870s dwelling house, including the removal of later extensions of negative significance, and the construction of a new extension, drawing on design cues from the existing structures and using a complimentary and contemporary palette of materials. Other proposed works include the construction of a large subterranean garage, gatehouse, and restoration of the historic oval walled garden.
A modern yet classically proportioned house, this family home was designed to sit on an expansive site on the fringes of Dundee. With an extensive brief, a north-south axis was developed as an ordering device forming a key circulation route through the new home. A generous, modern garage was positioned between the new home and existing dwellings to the east, with the home and pool are orientated south and west to encircle the site and screen the south west gardens.
Several further small buildings: a pond shelter; guest annex and tennis pavilion were also proposed. The new home’s architectural impression is a mix of familiar classical proportions and subtle, modern, and neo-art-deco references. Sections of the building open to form contemporary glazed areas including the glazed spa pavilion annex, central entrance stair with large sky lantern and lade bridge glass walkway spanning an open lade winding through the extensive garden grounds.
This residence is a bold, modernist building that has been designed in response to the client’s love of contemporary architecture and design. In order to be modelled and visualised, an existing design was brought to Aim, featuring planar elements reminiscent of architectural styles developed by Mies van der Rohe and Frank Lloyd Wright. Rigid geometries define internal spaces and extend outward, anchoring the building in its natural context. Internal spaces are developed to encourage open plan living in the public area of the house where living and dining areas are combined.
With Aim’s input, the design was developed and refined with the introduction of natural materials to blend with contemporary aesthetics, creating a modern yet homely sense of luxury, and bringing visual tangibility to the scheme.
Airlie Church is a category ‘B’ listed building in Kirkton of Airlie, Angus. The church dates to 1783 although some earlier buildings are associated with the site as long ago as 1242. Renovations were carried out in the late 19th century including pitch pine panelling and the church pews.
These proposals redesign the interior of the building to form a 2 bedroom house. The impressive scale of the main space will be retained to take advantage of the incredible natural light. This area will form the heart of the building with living room and kitchen. Bedrooms will be situated on the upper floors, each accessed by an individual stair at the west and east wings.
“Aim presented a thoroughly well considered case for developing this multi storey development with single means of escape - the first of its kind in Dundee." - Private Client
Located close to Carnoustie Golf Links and Bay, the site for this extension was occupied by a single-storey 1970’s residential building, with limited views to the golf courses. The proposal includes the reconfiguration of the existing layout to maximise the appeal of the property, and the overhaul of the existing external skin to modernise the external impression.
The addition of a first floor provides additional sleeping accommodation, a golfer’s snug and a new south west orientated external drinks terrace that provides commanding views over the Carnoustie Championship Golf Course 18th green.
The overall effect is one of restrained modernity that still manages to make a sensitive contribution to surrounding urban fabric, and that has significantly increased the rental and sale value of the property for the client.
This sensitive upgrade to the category ‘C’ listed Pitkerro Mill introduces a replacement sun room, as well as reconfiguring internal spaces. The proposed internal alterations have allowed for significantly larger living spaces, including a substantial kitchen/dining area on the ground floor that leads into the rear extension.
The reconfiguration has allowed for four bedrooms – with an optional fifth – alongside an array of supplementary spaces such as a gallery space, games room, and snug, maximising the building’s flexibility for family living. The proposed rear extension provides an additional living space with ample natural light, connecting the interior and exterior spaces of the property seamlessly.
While the extension will provide an internal modern living space, its low impact exterior remains sympathetic to the existing house in regards to both form and materiality, utilising a complimentary palette of muted tones.
