A deep green retrofit is always going to be more sustainable than switching from fossil fuels to renewables – and is much more sustainable than building new. This is being reflected in the changing workload of many ecological architectural practices, including Halvorsen Architects, which are increasingly taking on more retrofit projects than new-builds. This has […]
client private engineers CRA Ltd. contract value £70,000 total remodelled area 56 sq. m. Halvorsen Architects extended and remodelled a 1970s house in Dunbar, East Lothian. A sun room was created at the heart of the house, linking all the principal rooms and, with the removal of a wall, created a large open plan kitchen-dining
It’s very rewarding to have a client who is dedicated to bringing old buildings back to life. Not only does it help preserve the heritage and character of the area, it also reinforces a sense of place, while helping us to meet net-zero targets – the construction sector is responsible for an incredible 37% of global
Our hempcrete house near Dunbar is going up much faster than we expected. In fact, the construction process is quicker than for an equivalent timber-framed house. This is because the qualities of all the components of a traditional wall are met by the hempcrete alone – with the exception of the structural frame. Unfortunately Hempcrete’s
Our client has moved into her new, four-bedroom Passivhaus in central Edinburgh. It was quite a journey, through Covid and escalating material costs, but we got there and the client is delighted. In fact we have achieved a Scottish Building Standards ‘Gold’ sustainability label it. The Scottish Building Standards Sustainability labelling is a broader endorsement
Originally, the intention was to raise the roof of this modest Georgian home – a converted barn on a steading in Midlothian – to provide more accommodation for a growing family. Then the building materials price hike hit, following Brexit and other events, and the proposal became unaffordable. Instead, we had to fit as much
Halvorsen Architects are lucky enough to have water features going into two current projects. Last week I visited one that’s going beside a new hempcrete house outside Dunbar. It will be fed by rainwater from the roof, and form a focus of the garden, visible from the main rooms. I have learned a lot from the
Halvorsen Architects have just finished an extension to and remodelling of a house in Winchburgh, West Lothian. The core of this house was a 19th-century cottage which has been extended many times, most recently in the 1970s. Halvorsen Architects were asked to add further accommodation and reconfigure the existing house to make the most of
client private contract value £280,000 area new build 110 sq. m. A speculative house for a small town-centre site in Eskbank near Edinburgh, this has a simple plan with three bedrooms, two reception rooms and a large hall containing stairs and a seating area upstairs. There was considerable local opposition to a house being built
client private engineers CRA Ltd. contract value £82,000 total remodelled area 45 sq. m. The previous pokey ground floor extension was replaced by much larger and extremely light sunroom. A new passageway was formed from the front door to the new extension, giving views to the garden from deep inside. Spaces either side of this
Is this the dawn of the ‘wood age’? The stone, iron, bronze, glass and steel ages all benefited from wood but now it is now the turn of this ancient, natural and renewable material to take its place at the top of the materials hierarchy. Scotland should be making more use of its natural materials.
Planning permission has been approved for a new building at Happy Days nursery Hardengreen branch in Midlothian. It is located in mature woodland and is a playful take on a timber cabin. It is raised off the ground, on piles so as not to disturb the tree roots, with a south-facing deck. The north facing
SEDA’s Report ‘A New Vision for Land Use in Scotland: 6 Conversations’ was released on Monday. It summarises the key themes that emerged in the highly successful events of the same name, held by SEDA in March and April, where 42 of the best informed people from all sectors of land use discussed the challenges
Concrete accounts for 8% of CO2 emissions, far higher than aviation at 2.5%. So if we are to help stop climate change we need to stop using concrete. Even the ‘more sustainable’ forms of concrete that replace some of the Portland cement with alternatives such as granulated blast furnace flag and fly ash have their
With one of my other hats on I am an events organiser for The Scottish Ecological Design Association (SEDA). Since SEDA members are predominantly architects most of our events are building related. More recently I decided to put more emphasis on non-architectural events. Next week A New Vision for Land Use in Scotland: 6 Conversations
A New Vision for Land Use in Scotland: 6 Conversations Read More »
It was with great joy that I received some photos from an Edinburgh client of their wild flower garden blooming this spring. It has been frustrating not to be able to pay my usual site visits, with work on several sites coming to a halt under the Civid19 lock down. These photos are of the
Halvorsen Architects have just finished major works to a house in the Grange, a conservation area on Edinburgh’s south side which was first developed as an early suburb from the 1820s. The clients were keen to expand their Georgian villa in as sustainable as possible. We considered several measures, including renewable heating, insulation and airtightness. With
Halvorsen Architects recently finished an extension to and remodelling of a 1970s house in Dunbar, East Lothian. A sun room, at the heart of the house, links the principal rooms and, with the removal of a wall, creates a large open plan kitchen-dining room. Light floods in through the wall-to-wall South-facing glazing, high-level East-facing clerestory
Last month I visited Shepherd House, Inveresk, where I have carried out several small projects and was delighted to see wild strawberries growing on the green roof of the potting shed designed by Halvorsen Architects. The roof was planted with ferns originally and over the years wildflowers have self-seeded there, but this is the first
A group of ecologically-minded people gathered in Forres to visit a collection of inspiring sustainable enterprises, hear some stimulating talks and exchange green ideas. Having spent the previous couple of months organising SEDA’s (Scottish Ecological Design Association) annual conference, it was underway at last. For me the highlight was the trip to Makar Ltd. –
The venue was more Bohemian than most – the top floor of a celebrated French restaurant in Soho. I had been asked to give a talk about nursery design by My Montessori Child. The theme of the conference was Quality – Quality in Spirit, Quality in Space and Quality in Service. I was asked to
The children of Happy Days nursery, Dalkeith, wait with anticipation while they watch their handmade pizzas cook in their new pizza oven. The oven arrived with mesh around the insulation which we rendered and decorated with mosaic tiles. Not an empty plate to be seen!
client private engineers CRA Ltd. contract value £57,000 area 35 sq. m. An extension to a Victorian house in Leith, Edinburgh, this project was designed to maximise the light coming in from the client’s south-facing garden. It is a large, single room for sitting, dining and showing films. The new multi-purpose room is pulled away to
client Genesis (J&T) Ltd (Trading as Happy Days Nurseries) Happy Days acquired a new nursery in Eskbank, Midlothian, a year ago and asked Halvorsen Architects to design an imaginative and original new playground for it using natural materials. Halvorsen Architects were delighted to be able to put their ideas about play and risk-taking into practice. The natural forms of the
client Genesis (J&T) Ltd (Trading as Happy Days Nurseries) This is our proposal for a nursery school on the outskirts of Haddington, East Lothian. It is located in the large, mature garden of a private house. The house was to be remodelled to house the 0-2 year olds and a new timber building proposed in
New pre-school nursery, Haddington, East Lothian Read More »
