Orwell Farm

Overlooking Loch Leven in Kinross, Orwell Farm was purchased 12 months ago, by Managing Director of architectural practice LBA, Lynsay Manson and her husband. LBA had been looking for new office premises for some time in Edinburgh and when the opportunity came up to buy the farm with the derelict outbuildings it seemed the prefect opportunity to create a second office for the practice. When approached by a watch designer who lives locally and a realisation that there were numerous creative makers and designers locally who needed work space, the project evolved and expanded further.

 The ethos of the project is to create a community of businesses that can all work, grow and thrive together. The stone steading will provide a home to LBA;s rural team and the watch designers. A new purpose built office building will replace a redundant agricultural shed, providing a mixture of co-working and private office facilities, with a further new-build office element completing the courtyard. The remaining 800sqm agricultural shed is being re-purposed into workshop and studio spaces for artisan industries. The existing agricultural setting and character has been a key influence in the designs, in terms of scale, form and materials. The aim is for the development to feel rural and not to loose its historic roots.

 The setting of the development is unique; to the south it overlooks Loch Leven and to the north the 2 remaining standing stones of Orwell. In terms of ecology the loch is RSPB protected and teeming with wildlife. Through inventive and thoughtful landscape design we aim to enhance the local ecology further.

A fabric first approach will be adopted as and energy efficient building fabric will reduce carbon emissions and reduce operating