Dallas Dhu

A Moray Growth Deal Housing Mix Delivery project, Dallas Dhu proposes the creation of a new low carbon, multi-generational exemplar community on the edge of Forres. The project is a collaboration between Moray Council and Altyre Estate, in partnership with Grampian Housing Association, building on the work previously developed by Urban Animation.

The design of the masterplan has been inspired by the extraordinary built fabric of the nearby Altyre Estate, along with the settlement patterns evident in the burgh towns and coastal settlements of Moray and Aberdeenshire. Of particular relevance are the strong grains of Forres and Elgin, with their mercats at their heart, and the sheltering intimate fabrics of Findhorn and Crovie, which respond to their natural landscape to create shelter and place. The approach is simple: to create a community of homes that respond to sunshine and gathering, mediating between town and rural landscape. The proposals seek to enhance the existing features: to work with the undulating topography; to connect to the existing Dava Way route leading into the heart of Forres; and to create new routes and cycleways that weave into shared amenity spaces that augment connections to the surrounding woodland.

Shared surface streets emphasise place and people over cars, with homes clustered around shared courts, closes and communal green space. Homes are positioned to the north of plots with gardens to the south, exploiting solar heat gain and allowing family rooms to spill into sunny gardens. Clustering the homes in terraces and around courts makes an intentional move away from orthodox typologies of individually parcelled homes, to foster interaction between residents, just as historical urban grains encouraged.

A new development of student homes is also proposed, to support The Glasgow School of Art Highlands Campus located on the nearby Altyre Estate. Other uses will be incorporated too, such as a community pavilion, shared tool sheds and composting facilities, and opportunities for a nursery on a derelict adjoining farmstead. Serviced plots are also set-aside for a Housing Innovation initiative for Co-Housing or Custom Self-Build opportunities.

The ambition is to create a new neighbourhood of homes knitted into the immediate landscape setting, that helps to foster a renewed sense of community and belonging. We hope the masterplan’s reference back to joyous forms of vernacular patterns, combined with its contextual, low carbon and community centric design, will act as a future precedent for communities and housing across Scotland.