Summer 2025

Papple is progressing steadily, the external fabric is almost complete, first fix complete and now the concentration is on the finishes, both internally and externally with a big push by the contractor to have phase 2.1 completed by the Autumn. Image shows the interior of one of the apartments. 

We have four exhibits in this year’s Royal Scottish Academy exhibition. On the wall is the now abandoned design for a new St Mary’s Music School at Edinburgh Park. Our main contribution to the exhibition however is a freestanding triptych Three Speculative Projects for Central Edinburgh. Each element has drawings, images and a 4-minute movie. They are firstly, our ideas for the transformation of West Princes Street and the interaction with the gardens; secondly an idea for a new Modern Art Gallery in East Princes Street Gardens connecting the existing Mound RSA/NGS link and Waverley Bridge; and thirdly a reconfiguration of the elements of the new St Andrew Square Concert Hall primarily to demonstrate how it might benefit from an eventual connection the Royal Bank of Scotland interior. More details can be seen of the four projects on own webpages where their respective movies can also be seen. The exhibition runs to 8 June 2025.

Richard has been on his travels giving three lectures in the Venice School of Architecture in March and two in Sligo School of architecture immediately afterwards. In both venues he talked separately about the practice’s work and, about his research into the work of Scarpa. He also spoke to the lunch club of the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh about “the creative reuse of historic buildings” illustrating the talk with several of our own projects. He has also been invited to lecture at University College Dublin in October.
 
Richard will also be meeting German architects in Hamburg and Norwegian architects in Oslo to discuss potential collaborations.
 

The practice’s work has featured prominently in the press in the last few months.
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The Herald featured on its front page our ideas for West Princes Street and the story was picked up by the BBC, the Times, Scottish Construction Now, Urban Realm, Edinburgh Live, Daily Business and even Chinese TV who came to the office to film Richard. The reaction was mixed but more positive than negative. 
 
Both the refusal of planning permission for the house in Blenheim Place and then its reversal by the Local Review board was featured in local press The Scotsman and the Edinburgh Reporter.

The practice has two of it's buildings featured in a new book 'Scotland in 100 Buildings' by Roger Emmerson, published by Luath Press: Dundee Contemporary Arts (DCA) and Richard's own house at Hart Street. 

Looking for office space in a creative environment?

We have two office spaces available - the larger office measurers 65sq.m and the smaller mezzanine office, 29 sq. m.Both have access to meeting rooms, kitchens and bicycle storage areas and are easily customisable.

Interested? Please contact Pauline (0131 220 6125)  for further details. Image shows the mezzanine area.