Aberdeen building news, Northeast Scotland construction developments photos, Scottish property project design images

Aberdeen Architecture News

New Aberdeenshire Architectural Developments 2024 – Modern Northeast Scotland Architecture Designs.

post updated 23 May 2025

3 May 2025
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Consent Secured for Transformation of Kirk of St Nicholas

photo courtesy of ScotArt
St Nicholas Kirk Aberdeen church building news
Aberdeen City Council has granted listed building consent to proceed with the ambitious renovation of the historic Kirk of St Nicholas. This allows redevelopment of the West Kirk, Drum Aisle and Tower, part of the iconic “Mither Kirk”, into a vibrant cultural and community hub, marking an exciting new chapter for the heart of Aberdeen.

Aberdeen’s TINTO expands to Glasgow

Aberdeen-headquartered Architecture and Interiors firm, TINTO, launching a new office in Glasgow as it secures an ever-growing number of contracts in the region.

About TINTO

At TINTO, we combine distinct architecture, interior design and project management services to ensure creativity, clarity and certainty — from the initial brief stages to completion and handover.
https://www.tintoarchitecture.co.uk/

post updated 12 September 2024

Aberdeen

12 September 2024
A House in the Woods
Members of the public are invited to visit Robert Gordon University’s riverside campus at Garthdee this autumn to discover ‘A House in the Woods’:
Scott Sutherland School of Architecture

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Aberdeen Building News

This page carries key building and property development information for the Northeast of Scotland. It is arranged in a chronological order with links lower down the page to Aberdeen Building News from previous years.

8 May 2024

Scott Sutherland End of Year Show 2024

photo : Martin Parker, Gatehouse Design Agency
Scott Sutherland End of Year Show 2024
A new flood defence institute for Stonehaven, regeneration proposals to revitalise Aberdeen’s harbour area and visionary ideas to redevelop sites across the North East, are among some of the projects to be exhibited at the Scott Sutherland School of Architecture End of Year Show at Robert Gordon University.

12 February 2024
Belmont Cinema Aberdeen Building News
Belmont Cinema Aberdeen building

2 November 2023
Bon Accord Baths Building News

Architecture students engage community to ‘Keep Bon Accord Baths Afloat’.

A team of architecture students from the Scott Sutherland School of Architecture & Built Environment at Robert Gordon University has created an innovative project to support the restoration of the Bon Accord Baths.

The third-year students have created eight innovative ideas to reuse and breathe new live into Bon Accord Baths on Justice Mill Lane.

photograph : Martin Parker

Their ideas, which include concepts of what the baths could be, include transforming areas within the Baths into a performing arts centre, a hub for health treatment & exercise and a seasonal market for food and beverage from the north east.

The restoration project has been ongoing for a number of years, and the group is working with the local community to develop their ideas. As part of the project, the group has gathered feedback on their proposals at an open forum with members of the public and professionals from Aberdeen City Council and Bon Accord Heritage.

An exhibition, ‘Keep Bon Accord Baths Afloat’, is also on display and open for members of the public to visit at the Scott Sutherland School of Architecture and Built Environment at RGU’s Garthdee campus.

It’s hoped a future exhibition could be held at the Bon Accord Baths to encourage more conversation about how to bring back the Baths as a community-led facility.

Course co-ordinator and RGU lecturer Silvia Bassanese, said: “It has been really impressive to see the students’ enthusiasm and passion for the Bon Accords Baths Afloat project and their engagement with the wider community including Aberdeen City Council Planning department and Bon Accord Heritage.

“The Bon Accord Baths play such an important part in the history of Aberdeen, and it is so important to restore a building which houses one of the few remaining pools of its type in the country.

photo : Martin Parker

“The city of Aberdeen is full of empty spaces and buildings, public and private and awaiting a new future. Every regeneration must begin with public acknowledgement of the potential and social value of these spaces. These ideas are often experimental, but Aberdeen can lead the way with its regeneration and perhaps the rethinking of Bon Accord Baths as a public space, will lead to further ideas and actions on how to reclaim “lost” and other remarkable public spaces across the city.”

Bruce Strachan from Bon Accord Heritage said: “Bon Accord Heritage is always keen to engage with local interest groups that share our passion for Bon Accord Baths. The enthusiasm of the students and output from their project provided a number of interesting ideas that could be incorporated as uses or design elements in the final project. Ultimately we must look to restore the pool once again with a wide range of complementary activities to provide a sustainable future”.

Third year student, Oliwia Urman, who is originally from Poland but has lived in Aberdeen for the past 13 years, says the ‘Keep the Bon Accord Baths Afloat’ project is giving her practical experience on a community-based project.

She said: “It’s very easy to look at an abandoned building or a building that is no longer in use and think that it would be best if it was just demolished and replaced with something new. However, taking a step back and really analysing why a building was built in the first place really opens up opportunities for understanding the history and why it is so significant.

“When I stepped into the pool hall for the first time, it felt like I was taken back in time to the 1930s. The Baths have an incredibly pleasant atmospheric quality despite not being in use for years and I would recommend anyone and everyone to visit and educate themselves on how our local communities can and will restore this beautifully designed space for future generations to enjoy.”

Mackenzie Jackson from Fife, a third-year student also working on the Bon Accord Baths project, said: “I’ve been really lucky to have the opportunity to work with such an iconic piece of architecture as the Bon Accord Baths, which many in the community seem to have a real connection with. It’s been fantastic to see the enthusiasm – particularly during the exhibition – of the local community engaging with this project.

“My group suggested adapting the Bon Accord Baths to become a performing arts centre. The Baths would be reimagined into a multifunctional performance venue where the former swimming pool hall would become a flexible performance space that could host a variety of events. By keeping the space flexible in use, we hope to ensure the Bon Accord Baths’ future viability as a major civic building.”

Marco Antonio Paz Garcia, from Tenerife in Spain, says he never had the chance to use the Baths himself but has several older Scottish friends who did.

He said: “For many, the Bon Accord Baths represent decay and perhaps stagnation, for others “a price worth saving”. On one hand, there is the view of completely changing the character of the building into something new, but this implies an enormous amount of CO2 emissions being let into the atmosphere and affecting our environment.

“On the other hand, the old is also viewed with a certain respect, and we should acknowledge that the ageing process is something that happens to everything on this planet. For the Baths to have survived almost 100 years involves survival on the verge of difficulties and this should awaken a sense of reflection that can help us value our cultural identity.”

The Bon Accord Bath’s project supports the Scott Sutherland School of Architecture’s social ethos and commitment to facilitate the design of sustainable and well-considered spaces and Robert Gordon University’s commitment to support the economic and social regeneration of the north east.

Plans to reopen the Baths fully were boosted last November when a motion to officially support the restoration efforts was backed by Aberdeen City Council.

It’s hoped the campaign to save Bon Accord Baths could see the pool reopened to the public and transformed into a vital community facility for future generations, for the first time in over a decade.

3 June 2023
The Arbor House
Design: Brown & Brown Architects

photo © Jim Stephenson
The Arbor House
Brown & Brown has completed a new low-energy home in a conservation area of the city.

29 May 2023
ONE BioHub, Foresterhill Health Campus
Design: BDP

image courtesy of architects practice
ONE BioHub Aberdeen life sciences building
The £40 million ONE BioHub is the iconic new location for life sciences in Aberdeen.

25 April 2023
New Dean appointed at RGU’s Scott Sutherland School of Architecture & Built Environment

A former President of the American Institute of Architects, (AIA), has been appointed as the new Dean for The Scott Sutherland School of Architecture & Built Environment at Robert Gordon University (RGU).

Professor Peter Exley FAIA RIBA NOMA is currently Professor of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and will join RGU at the end of May.

A strategic and innovative leader, Mr Exley, is founder of the internationally recognised practice, ‘Architecture is Fun’, a Chicago-based architecture and design firm. His practice was awarded the AIA Chicago Firm of the Year in 2017 and prides itself on designing and advocating public spaces, learning and play environments for children, families and communities.

As Professor at the School of Art Institute of Chicago, Professor Exley has taught a wide range of cross-disciplinary subjects, drawing on his experience of community engagement to foster a climate and equity-based curriculum. He received the Nathan Clifford Ricker award for Teaching in Excellence Award in 2017 and has extensive research publications on urban issues such as public spaces, pocket parks and micro-city environments.

He has also written two books including ‘Design For Kids’ (2006) and the eponymous, ‘Architecture Is Fun’, which he co-authored with his partner Sharon Exley in 2021.

In his role as the President of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in 2021, Professor Exley successfully led this globally recognized professional society, that includes 95,000 members and over 200 national and international components, through the disruption of the global pandemic. He also represented a delegation of the AIA at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow and oversaw the renewal of the AIA Headquarters, as a net-zero, 2030 compliant, future workplace.

During his tenure at the AIA, Professor Exley led a public outreach team, including a partnership with the US Conference of Mayors, instigating the ‘Blueprint for Better’ campaign to bring to life the role of architects as leaders in the fight against climate change.

Professor Exley received his Master of Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia in 1990 and studied a Bachelor of Arts, gaining First Class Honours in Architectural Studies from the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne (UK), in 1985.

Other accolades include the Contribution to Art Education Award from the Illinois Alliance for Art Education (2002), a Distinguished Service Award from the National Art Education Association (2020) and the Young Architect Award from the AIA Chicago (1996).

In addition to his membership of the AIA, Professor Exley is a member of several professional organisations including the National Organization of Minority Architects and the Royal Institute of British Architects.

Professor Peter Exley said: “I am excited to lead The Scott Sutherland’s School’s vision to solidify our position as a leader in research, and to be launching a community of confident and capable students with the capacity, and expertise to literally build a resilient future. This is only possible with an outlook that is interdisciplinary, collaborative, and public minded at local, regional, and global scales.

“We should expect to engage an even broader network of community, civic, institutional, and business partnerships to collective benefit, with visible outcomes that are fair, and equitable for all. It’s a pivotal time in this industry, and for our community; I’m proud to be part of this RGU team leading change with vision, and purpose.”

RGU’s Principal and Vice-Chancellor Professor Steve Olivier has welcomed Professor Peter Exley’s appointment to lead The Scott Sutherland School of Architecture and Built Environment.

He said: “We are delighted to be appointing Professor Exley as Dean for The Scott Sutherland School of Architecture and Built Environment. He brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise, not only in education but also as founder of an internationally recognized practice of award-winning architecture and through his role as President of the American Institute of Architects.

“The Scott Sutherland School of Architecture and Built Environment has a strong social ethos that underpins all its teaching and research. We work closely with industry to ensure our courses are up to date and to equip our students with relevant skills to design and build sustainable and well-considered structures and spaces that reflect society’s aspirations. Professor Exley has a demonstrable track-record, and I am confident that under his leadership, the Scott Sutherland School can continue to build on its success as one of the country’s leading architectural schools.”

The Scott Sutherland School of Architecture and Built Environment is one of the three oldest of its kind in the UK, with a heritage that extends back to the 19th Century.

The school offers a unique undergraduate and postgraduate course portfolio that is highly regarded by professionals. Learn more about The Scott Sutherland School of Architecture and Built Environment.

6 Oct 2022

Residential building plot of 0.69 Acres in Huntly is brought to market by DM Hall at offer over £90,000

A 0.69 Acre residential building plot with full planning permission and building warrant for the erection of a one and a half-storey 4-bedroom home at The Old Mill, Bleachfield, Huntly AB54 4QX, is being marketed by Baird Lumsden, the rural property arm of DM Hall at offers over £90,000.

The plot is accessed via a publicly adopted road over The River Bogie and sits in an elevated position with a neighbouring newbuild home, Plot 1, The Old Mill. There is easy access directly onto the A96 and a short, walking distance from Huntly town centre. The site has been recently cleared and is now ready for construction and service connections.

Huntly is a prosperous market town on the A96 approximately 38 miles west from Aberdeen and 61 miles southeast from Inverness. It is within easy commuting distance of Aberdeen, Inverness and Elgin and has a mainline train station. The thriving and long-established town boasts a community hospital, a choice of major supermarkets and sports and leisure facilities.

Primary and secondary education is provided for at the well-regarded Gordon Schools in Huntly. The area is well regarded for golf, fishing on the rivers Deveron and Bogie (administered by the River Deveron Salmon Fisheries Board), bowling, cricket, football, swimming, skiing at the Nordic Ski Centre and an annual calendar of events and social clubs.

Kirstie McLachlan of Baird Lumsden DM Hall, who is overseeing the marketing process, said: “This is a unique opportunity to acquire a generous sized plot with full planning permission and building warrant for the erection of a one and a half-storey 4-bedroom home in a fantastic location.

“As well as outstanding views overlooking the river and surrounding countryside the plot is highly accessible and within walking distance of Huntly town centre. Altogether this represents a great opportunity to live in a highly desirable location and offers over £90,000 are invited to purchase the plot.

“Anyone interested in learning more should contact me, Kirstie McLachlan of Baird Lumsden DM Hall on 01786 833 800 or 07786 260 212, or by email at kirstie.mclachlan@dmhall.co.uk.”

With 24 offices and over 250 members of staff including 24 Partners, DM Hall this year celebrates 125 years since its foundation in 1897.

More cureent Aberdeen Architecture News online at e-architect soon.

Aberdeen Architecture News 2021

24 Aug 2021
St.Clements, Castlegate / Footdee area

St.Clements Aberdeen urban village
A new urban village called St.Clements’ could be created in the historic heart of the city under plans proposed by final year architect students at The Scott Sutherland School of Architecture and Built Environment at Robert Gordon University.

21 Jun 2021
Cornival
Design: Brown & Brown Architects

photo : Gillian Hayes
Cornival Cottage
This property project is the renovation and extension of a traditional Scottish cottage and byre, in the Aberdeenshire countryside.

More contemporary Aberdeen Architecture News online soon.

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Aberdeen Architecture News 2020

13 Oct 2020
Grandhome Community – Landscape, Bridge of Don
Design: Reiach and Hall Architects

photo © broad daylight
Grandhome Community in Bridge of Don
The highlight and main feature of the square is Davidston Pavilion, an open geometric building which is contemporary in design and references both Northern and classical Greek architecture.

17 Aug 2020
Architecture students design affordable housing for Grampian residents

image courtesy of designers
Robert Gordon University Aberdeen
Architecture students from Robert Gordon University’s Scott Sutherland School of Architecture design small affordable houses for Grampian Housing Association in Northeast Scotland.

7 July 2020
Robert Gordon University Virtual Architecture Exhibition

image courtesy of architects
Robert Gordon University Architecture Exhibition

24 Apr 2020
The Event Complex – TECA

image courtesy of article provider
The Event Complex Aberdeen, TECA
The Event Complex Aberdeen (TECA) has been lauded for its social impact at a prestigious awards ceremony.