An opportunity to design the new Arran Distillery & Visitor Centre at Lagg, on the Isle of Arran. This was an enormous opportunity for us, and we won the contract from three other established architects practices, with our initial design. The design evolved to represent the hills and valley of Glen Rosa with the green grass roof blending the building in to the site from afar. The copper stills are on display through huge glass curtain walling and the view from the front entrance and the visitor centre, looks straight across to the Ailsa Craig. A very exciting project to be a part of, you can read more about it by clicking HERE.

This was a rather large extension to an existing farmhouse, which was orientated the wrong way and didn’t take in the marvellous views. I designed this rather spacious rear extension and side lean-to’s with an internal mezzanine and double height space. The client used ABC a local builder to do the work and they made a really good job of it.

This project was great to work on. This was the clients dream home that they’d saved for years to create. I designed this courtyard arrangement with bedroom wing and living wing separate from each other, with maximum solar gain and south facing living spaces. This was a chance to play with existing stone material on site, and mix in some contemporary metal cladding, with large sliding barn doors for solar shading, and central two sided fireplaces.

The client wanted a large ‘forever’ house that they could expand and grow their family in over their lifetime. The house is orientated towards stunning views over Holy Isle, on the Isle of Arran. The site steps, so this was a nice opportunity to play with levels, and create a feature cantilevered glazed area to the kitchen dining area. It was an enjoyable project to explore one and a half storey massing with more contemporary materials, and an efficient layout.

These lodges were designed on an estate in North Ayrshire, to replace existing dilapidated sawmill and wood sheds in a densely wooded area. I designed them with sloping twisted corrugated iron roofs, as a nod to the previously run down buildings and scattered vertical screens to enhance the feeling of woodland and dappled light. they had rain link chain gutters and bespoke sloping sill windows.

Some clients had big ambitions, and weren’t afraid to go big or go home. This client had an existing split level two story house with downstairs garage. They challenged us to create a ‘super home’ that would be comfortable in Miami or Los Angeles out of the existing carcass. I designed this three storey cantilevered T shape building around the existing building, with a swimming pool on the ground floor and external terraces on the first and second floors. This received planning permission from South Ayrshire Council, but the clients circumstances changed, and they did not move the project forward.

An extension to a prominent existing sandstone house on Ayr’s, Racecourse Road. This was a controversial planning application that required several iterations to please both the client’s desire for something modern and luxurious inside, with the local council’s concern to express the difference between the new and old, and the public and neighbourly reactions to the new development. This was the design that gained planning permission.

Denham / Benn have multiple housing developers that they work with, but they have a strong desire to improve the existing status quo. It was always interesting and enjoyable to play with orientation and open spaces on a site, while retaining the developers desired unit numbers.