An attractive short video feature on the planning issues surrounding new and replacement rural buildings in Scotland, based around the work of architect Mark Walker and an exhibition of his designs at The Lighthouse.

We look in detail at Walker’s scheme for a new building at New Mill Farm. His client, John Roberts, is excited by the design and says Mark Walker’s plans are new, light and airy, and with triple glazing, could give views to the north, which the older buildings did not attempt.

A great deal of house building in rural Scotland is as replacements for run-down existing buildings, and the new homes are expected to fit their site. Mark Douglas, Conservation Officer for Scottish Borders Council, says that doesn’t mean the new construction has to copy every last detail of the old building, but it has to have the same relationship to the location.

Explaining why the planning system appears to favour traditional constructions, Mark Douglas admits councillors can be quite reactionary in what they prefer but says it is also quite rare to be offered something other than the run-of-the-mill design. He also discusses the positioning of new buildings in a rural setting

Describing another of his designs, Mark Walker explains that his strategy was to respond to the landscape. The need to work within cost-constraints led to a simple barn-like structure, with a standard timber-frame construction but this was also very appropriate to the location.

The programme, which was part of the National Programme in Architecture supported by a grant from the Scottish Executive, is illustrated throughout with attractively shot views of Mark Walker’s projects and his exhibition at The Lighthouse.

Walker stresses that individual architect-designed homes need not cost more than a standard design. He comments that it is strange that contemporary creativity seems to be regarded as more acceptable in music or books than it is in architecture, and says it is a question of regaining the confidence of the general public.

Please note that there is an intrusive intermittent tone on the soundtrack in the background of one scene for around two minutes (approximately 8 minutes into the programme). This video recording lasts 14 minutes and 23 seconds.