In the rural setting of coastal Scotland, Fife Architects was briefed to create a two-storey extension while retaining all the building’s historic fabric and architectural features.

The C-listed building received an interior renovation and a two-storey split-level extension to the rear. The client, a young family, needed an extra master bedroom and wanted an open-plan kitchen lounge that would maximise the use of the rear garden and views.

Minimising impact

Fife Architects has a commitment to heritage preservation and sustainable design. With the help of Archicad, the practice applied sustainability principles while taking a sensitive approach to the site and its surroundings to minimise its environmental impact.

For the extension, the team chose materials that would integrate with the existing architecture of the building, while maintaining a low carbon footprint. The result is a predominantly timber structure with responsibly sourced timber cladding. Efforts were also made to minimise the use of steel as much as possible.

The lodge boasts a living wildflower roof, which reduces the building’s carbon footprint. The green roofs provide visual benefit, aid in natural insulation, promote biodiversity and reduce rainwater runoff in an already wet garden.

One of the project’s standout features is the preservation and celebration of original architectural elements. Contrasting the original stone walls with new timber elements highlights the blend of old and new in the design.

Archicad’s energy evaluation tool allowed Fife to analyse various energy-efficient connections, details and glazing configurations to optimise the designs. The tool enables architects to perform dynamic building energy calculations, ensuring projects conform to or even exceed energy efficiency regulations and comply with building energy standards.

Addressing challenges

Fife’s biggest hurdle emerged when the team discovered the existing lodge had no foundations.

This led to extensive underpinning and additional costs. However, the team turned the challenge into an opportunity and decided to expose the new mass concrete foundations as a feature, creating a visual blend of the building’s structure and history that connected past and present seamlessly.

Fife used Archicad to demonstrate to the client the extent to which the concrete would be exposed and aid their decision-making.

Fermín Beltrán Dos Santos, partner at Fife Architects, explained: “The BIMx model made the process so simple. As it’s a virtual building, it was easy to show how much concrete would be exposed and what this would look like.”

Gaining planning permission for the C-listed building was also a challenge. At the start of the project, the planning department had concerns about the size of the initial proposals, and whether the extension would overpower the existing building.

To get planning, Fife used point cloud scanning for accurate 3D measurements of the existing building which were then loaded into Archicad as a starting point for the extension designs. Using Twinmotion’s integration with Archicad, the team produced high-quality renders which were placed onto real photos of the existing building, creating a photo montage.

“Having these images of the plans in situ gave the planning department the confidence to give us approval,” explained Fermín.

Digital communication

An Archicad user since the practice was set up in 2011, Fife Architects value Archicad’s ability to communicate design intent to contractors to ensure accuracy in construction.

The direct link between Archicad and Twinmotion allowed the practice to create realistic renderings throughout the design process which were used for presentations.

Meanwhile, the combination of Archicad and BIMx was especially useful for the Balbernie Gate Lodge project, as Fermín explained: “We particularly appreciated the BIMx integration with Archicad, which streamlined collaboration and communication with clients, contractors, and suppliers throughout the project.”

“We regularly updated the BIMx model throughout the project, which proved incredibly beneficial for the client to visualise and experience the project in real-time during both the design process and construction. This also saved us substantial time as we didn’t need to create separate presentations – instead, the client could explore the BIMx model for themselves,” said Fermín.

The result is a building that seamlessly harmonises with the existing setting, with the subtle combination of tradition and modern.

“The Balbernie Gate Lodge extension project exemplifies our commitment to heritage preservation and sustainable design at Fife Architects. We aimed to not only meet the client’s brief but also contribute positively to the environment and community,” concluded Fermín.

Images by Katie Pryde