Sustainable Architects Scotland — Baillie Baillie Architects

As Found

Working within the hollowed-out shells of former agricultural buildings, the impulse to act is measured against a will to do as little as possible.

Colin BaillieOctober 14, 2024Scottish architect, Modern architect scotland, Architect Scottish Highlands, sustainable architects, sustainable architects scotland, eco home, eco architect, Eco Design, eco architect scotland, architect, Architecture, Local, local materials, natural home, natural buildings

Notes on the Nature of Building with Wood

We’re drawn to the softness and warmth of buildings that resonate with their origins in nature.

Colin BaillieJune 13, 2024Scottish architect, Modern architect scotland, Architect Scottish Highlands, sustainable architects, sustainable architects scotland, eco home, eco architect, Eco Design, eco architect scotland, architect, Architecture, Local, local materials, natural home, natural buildings

The Act of Making

Construction follows much planning. It’s a time for precision as well as reflection.

Colin BaillieMay 13, 2024Scottish architect, Modern architect scotland, Architect Scottish Highlands, sustainable architects, sustainable architects scotland, eco home, eco architect, Eco Design, eco architect scotland, architect, Architecture, Local, local materials, natural home, natural buildings

Out with the New

Notes on the beauty of imperfection and the legibility of craftsmanship.

Colin BaillieDecember 11, 2023Scottish architect, Modern architect scotland, Architect Scottish Highlands, sustainable architects, sustainable architects scotland, eco home, eco architect, Eco Design, eco architect scotland, architect, Architecture, Local, local materials, natural home, natural buildings

Fabric First

Putting material choices and sustainability at the centre of the design process.

Colin BaillieNovember 17, 2023Scottish architect, Modern architect scotland, Architect Scottish Highlands, sustainable architects, sustainable architects scotland, eco home, eco architect, Eco Design, eco architect scotland, architect, Architecture, Local, local materials, natural home, natural buildings

The Versatility of Clay

Some thoughts on the use of clay, and clay plasters.

Colin BaillieOctober 13, 2023Scottish architect, Modern architect scotland, Architect Scottish Highlands, sustainable architects, sustainable architects scotland, eco home, eco architect, Eco Design, eco architect scotland, architect, Architecture, Local, local materials, natural home, natural buildings

Craft, Tradition & Atmosphere

A beautiful photographic essay by Tom Stark.

Colin BaillieAugust 16, 2023Scottish architect, Modern architect scotland, Architect Scottish Highlands, sustainable architects, sustainable architects scotland, eco home, eco architect, Eco Design, eco architect scotland, architect, Architecture, Local, local materials, natural home, natural buildings

A Cottage & A Farmstead

An accompaniment to our exhibition at the Royal Scottish Academy

Colin BaillieJuly 4, 2023Scottish architect, Modern architect scotland, Architect Scottish Highlands, sustainable architects, sustainable architects scotland, eco home, eco architect, Eco Design, eco architect scotland, architect, Architecture, Local, local materials, natural home, natural buildings

Hands-on

Topping out at Taigh-bàta, and reflecting on the process of making crafted buildings.

Colin BaillieJuly 3, 2023Scottish architect, Modern architect scotland, Architect Scottish Highlands, sustainable architects, sustainable architects scotland, eco home, eco architect, Eco Design, eco architect scotland, architect, Architecture, Local, local materials, natural home, natural buildings

Universally Beautiful

We agree with Frank Lloyd Wright that ‘wood is universally beautiful to man’.

Colin BaillieMarch 30, 2023Scottish architect, Modern architect scotland, Architect Scottish Highlands, sustainable architects, sustainable architects scotland, eco home, eco architect, Eco Design, eco architect scotland, architect, Architecture, Local, local materials, natural home, natural buildings

Quick Guide - Holiday Let Licences

Holiday let licenses are a hot topic at the moment, and we’ve been asked by several clients to help clarify how this might effect their business or project plans.

Colin BaillieJanuary 18, 2023Holiday letting, Ecotourism, Scottish Highlands, Scottish architect, Self build architect scotland, sustainable building, sustainable architects scotland, holiday let business scotland

Good Ancestors

We don’t start with an aesthetic and try to work out how to make it sustainable. We start with what’s sustainable and use our creativity to make it beautiful.

A Culture of Community

Collective Self Build is an underutilised model. We’d like to see more houses built with community and connectedness at their core.

Colin BaillieNovember 23, 2022Self Build, Collective custom build, collective self build, sustainable architects, sustainable architect, sustainable architect scotland, Eco Home, eco architecture, eco architecture scotland, community architecture, scottish rural architecture, project managing a house build, scotland architect, scotland architects, highland architects

Simple, good, undecorated things

We have a philosophy in the studio, that good design not only can be simple, but should be.

On changing little

Occasionally, building requires a setting to be created, or a site to be transformed. In other cases, there’s an overwhelming sense that the less changed or manipulated, the better.

Aperture as Surface

When a facade is pared back to the essential ingredients of surface, mass, and material, small and subtle gestures speaking to craft and construction are given heightened significance.

Colin BaillieOctober 12, 2022Minimalism, Minimalist Architect, Minimalist Architects Scotland, bespoke design, bespoke architect, contemporary architect scotland

Breathing Buildings

Buildings need to breath! Most new homes are hermetically sealed, and are constructed using synthetic, Petro-Chemical based materials. We’re interested in alternatives.

Planning Permission in Rural Areas

When looking for a site in a rural location, there are a number of things you should consider. We specialise in achieving planning approval on challenging sites, and are always happy to give advise on what options are available in your specific situation.

Craft and Process

Craftsmanship speaks to the careful, and skilful process of making. We relate to this way of working.

Colin BaillieJune 16, 2022Architecture, architect, design, modelmaking, process, self-build, modern home, Contemporary architect, contemporary home, modern house, Sustainable Architecture, sustainable lifestyle, bespoke home, bespoke design, Sustainable architect, Sustainable Architect Scotland

For Those Who Build

…“every architect who strikes or avoids a ‘snag’ ought to open the matter to his fellows”. In the spirit of Edwin Gunn, we want to share our personal experiences of building, snags and all.

Bespoke Design, Highland Architect, Sustainable DesignColin BaillieMarch 15, 2022modern home, self-build, Scottish Highlands, Architect Scottish Highlands, Baillie Baillie Architects, Rural Architecture, Contemporary architect, Home Design, Sustainable Architecture, sustainable lifestyle, scottish rural architecture, project managing a house build, scotland architect, scotland architects, highland architects