CEBac – Comann Eachdraidh Sgìre a’ Bhac

At one time, Lighthill was used by sailors to navigate by night in Loch a Tuath. We anticipate that Comann Eachdraidh Sgìre a’ Bhac will be a renewed beacon in the landscape, establishing its presence on this significant site once again.

Situated in the heart of the village of Vatisker, Back in the Isle of Lewis, the site housed a demolished school and has since lain vacant and undeveloped for decades.
So, unlike other districts in the Outer Hebrides, Back has not inherited a former school building to convert into a community facility. Happily, however, the local historical society have been working to transform this place for the benefit of the local community.

This project is the first to grapple with healing the vacant plot to stitch the community back together. It required careful consideration of the immediate neighbour’s needs, addressing and responding to concerns. Early discussions took place with the Planning department establishing a dialogue that was useful in checking that our ideas would be acceptable. It required community consultation and participation to get the project through the planning system.
Following options appraisals and development of the design brief with the full consultant team, the immediate neighbours, the local community stakeholders and funders, the resulting project promises to be transformative.

A long building, linear in plan, is devised stretching from front to back of the site. An entrance is positioned midway down this span within a fold of walls towards the east, aligning to the chimney at the heart of the plan. Entering, the selection of options is immediately apparent – public zones such as the kitchen and exhibition / gathering areas open out and are framed by a rooflight that directs light deep into the volume. Subsidiary accommodation and the archive/ public library are located to the rear, where the strong enveloping roof form folds downwards.

The new building is anchored to its context. It expresses its presence as a civic building and deliberately encourages visual and physical connections to the street. A banner and streetlamp proclaim current events taking place within. A large barometer takes a prominent position on the gable creating a useful and distinctive feature within the landscape.

Materials have been selected due to their cultural associations choosing low embodied carbon options as much as possible. The building offers the client a cutting edge and efficient building to help keep the facility sustainable.