McFie Hall

Competition entry to extend and re organise the Macfie Hall in the rural village of Heriot in the Scottish Borders.

The bold proposal avoids the temptation to crowd new traditional forms around the existing hall and creates a distinctly fresh but still sympathetic language that provides new accommodation and helps improve the overall organisation of spaces. The hall is in a beautiful setting with very immediate connections to the landscape of the valley. The proposal permits a much more direct relationship with the landscape by creating new public meeting and café type spaces around the edges of the main hall with extensive views to the countryside beyond. The proposed layout further allows interconnection between the hall, the café, the kitchen and even the meeting rooms which would provide space to support a performance on the stage. Together these factors would enable the Macfie Hall to cope with a myriad of community activities and would create a bright and welcoming social hub for the villagers.