Quarry Studios

Our work is driven by landscape and context. To this end, each internal space for working is complemented by an external counterpart; a private office combines with a partially sheltered courtyard, while clerestory glazing connects the main studio with a generous rooftop terrace. 

Tucked into a quarry bowl, with the roofline set parallel to the escarpment edge, vertical concrete chimneys anchor the building into its surroundings. Meanwhile interlocking timber walls, formed from solid Douglas fir sections, demarcate the building plan. A lightweight hybrid steel and timber frame, sheet metal roof, and black timber walls encase the studio volumes, while expansive glazing invites natural light and frames views of the tree line, elevated above.

The building envelope is highly insulated with all space and water heating provided by a ground source heat pump, drilled into earth and granite. The Douglas fir timber used throughout the project is sourced from sawmills close-by, shaped and planed on site. 

Surrounded by a Site of Special Scientific Interest in the Scottish Highlands, work on the studio began with the sensitive rehabilitation and rewilding of the land, via extensive planting of native seedlings and young trees including juniper and silver birch. A new wetland area is now a focal point of the biodiverse landscape.

Quarry Studios also incorporates a public café, offering a simple menu of high quality, locally sourced ingredients. As well as offering a carefully crafted space for people to meet in this unique location, the cafe brings year-round activity and new jobs to the local area.