Our colleague Christina is cycling the North Coast 500 with a 3-person team from Proper Adventure Journal, which features ordinary people doing extraordinary things. This is a considerable undertaking, involving 500 miles cycling (with over 35,000ft of climbing) in four days around the incredible scenery and roads of the North Highlands of Scotland.

Helen Lucas Architects are pleased to note that The Kylesku Hotel have just launched their new website by the wonderful Gail Turpin Design. This features an interesting section on the history of the building which incorporates our recent extension and renovation works. For more information on visiting the hotel their website can be found here.

Helen Lucas Architects recently hosted a community consultation for a new project in the village of Tongue, North-West Highlands. We found it greatly beneficial to discuss our proposals with the local community and they were enthusiastically received. The proposals seek to renew and add to an existing garage, shop and shed buildings formed around an enhanced ‘mercat’ street. We will be providing a new shop with fuel pumps, a restaurant, flexible pop-up shop area, event space, accommodation for tourists and a business start-up unit envisioned to house a microbrewery.

We’re pleased to announce that planning has been granted for our renovation project in Culross, Fife. The proposal is for the extensive refurbishment of an existing 1960’s detached house, set within the environs of the historic Culross Abbey. New cladding materials help to both sustainably improve the external insulation and bed the building into it’s woodland surroundings. A carefully considered extension and internal alterations also combine to help open up much enhanced living spaces to the marvellous views across the Firth of Forth. 

Helen Lucas Architects have recently been awarded planning for a new project in Midlothian. This renovation of an old agricultural steading provides a contemporary studio space for the clients, replacing the existing roof to better integrate the steading within the context of the surrounding modernist influenced house. The proposals also include sustainable insulation improvements to the existing building fabric.