2021 YEAR ROUND UP

2021 at TRA

For most, this year has been very challenging, but it wasn’t all masks, tests and isolation for us.
We kicked off the year with some lovely new additions to the team. Megan joined as a Part II Architectural Assistant and Claire as our Studio Design Assistant and Project Support Administrator. We also celebrated the promotion of Neil Scott, to Senior Associate, Anna Daintrey-Dijkman to Associate and Craig Higgins to Associate. 

With team changes came a surge of new services. At Thomas Robinson Architects we continually strive to find the best way to communicate our ideas and visions. We launched our Visualisations Service as a commercial extension of the new 3D rendering offering. The ability to test ideas well in advance of breaking ground is now a vital part of our creative process. Advances in computing power and software development continue to drive innovation in the field of architectural visualisations and we are keen to develop our own abilities and services.

This year provided us with many exciting and challenging new projects. From designing Bute Yard, a new industrial-chic style regenerative development in Rothesay which will house a cafe and bar, flexible event space and a large courtyard, to creating a brand-new library.

The Thomas Graham Library based in Strathblane is going to be a wonderful contemporary building, and a great asset to the community. Alongside this project we were also granted planning permission and work began on a shooting lodge development in the Lowlands of Scotland.

We said bittersweet goodbyes to some lovely clients as projects were finalised. Work was completed on a Scots Baronial style home featuring fine details such as Italian marble floors, ornate plasterwork, intricate stonemasonry, and a bespoke Clive Christian bar. Director, Fiona Robinson is the practice lead on Interior Architecture and Interior Design and produced Interior Architecture as impressive as the exterior.

One of our clients learnt that trying to work within the constraints of an old building that has many faults can sometimes be more expensive and use more resources than replacing it completely. This is what we decided to do for this now complete, new farmhouse in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park. It offers a traditional farmhouse sensibility, but inside flows excellently and is fully fitted with 21st-century modern comforts, warmth, sustainability, and practicality.
Another project involved alterations and extensions to an attractive Edwardian stone mansion. The existing house had a formal dining room and a workable kitchen, but our clients are keen gardeners and wanted to feel more in touch with their outside space. They also wanted a larger kitchen so that they could entertain more friends. In light of their love of gardening, we were also tasked with building a substantial brick garden shed. Sandstone is an incredibly versatile material and in the correct mason's hands it can be crafted to be truly beautiful and timeless.

Sadly, one of our clients lost their beautiful home in Glasgow to a fire in 2020. Recently, we went on site with the replacement build. Their wish was to recreate the house to an almost identical design, with only a few alterations to ensure the interior is bathed with natural light.

It’s extremely satisfying and rewarding following a project through to completion, especially during a year that quite frankly none of us could have predicted.

Watch this space as we launch projects in 2022 which include a grand new mansion house in a Glasgow suburb, alterations and extensions to two listed arts and crafts homes, holiday accommodation for island sites in Jura and Islay, tourist accommodation in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs country park and a family home in a Glasgow commuter village.