MOXON ARCHITECTS
Photos : Timothy Soar ©
MOXON ARCHITECTS COMPLETES NEW STUDIO IN SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS
RESPONSIBLY SOURCED AND ASSEMBLED WITH CARE
Moxon Architects has completed its new Scottish headquarters , a highly contextual low-lying building sited in a former quarry , surrounded by a heavily wooded Site of Special Scientific Interest in the Cairngorms National Park in the Scottish Highlands . Anchored around two concrete monoliths , the principal studio and café buildings of Quarry Studios represent the private and public aspects of practice : encouraging collaboration and concentration and is a response to the growth of the practice in recent years .
Quarry Studios is conceptually anchored in the landscape by two main elements ; vertical concrete chimneys acting as a counterpoint to the low profile of the roof and a massive timber wall that intersects each volume . Around these , the hybrid steel and timber frame , sheet metal roof and black timber walls are wrapped . Tucked into the bowl of the quarry with the roofline set parallel to the escarpment edge above , the mono-pitch roof to the front of each volume matches the side slopes of the quarry and presents a single-storey covered colonnade towards the centre of the site .
Each internal space has an external counterpart with related characteristics ; by turns introverted , expansive , shaded , private or publicly accessible depending on its function . For example , a private office combines with a partial courtyard planted with native shade tolerant species while clerestory glazing connects the studio with its roof terrace , bringing north light deep into the plan and providing views to the top of the quarry bowl and the dramatically elevated surrounding treeline .
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