jmarchitects are so excited to share the news that our project, The Bothy and Tùr at Cuningar Loop has been shortlisted in the Community and Faith Project (£2 million and over) category at the 2023 AJ Awards!

Bothy: A simple shelter in the remote country for the use and benefit of all those who love being in wild and lonely places.

Tùr: A tower or lookout post in the landscape.

A traditional Scottish bothy is a form of simple accommodation in the landscape, offering basic shelter from the elements often with no water or electricity. Our proposal looked to take the qualities of the traditional bothy but with a greater level of comfort and utility for those who use it. Traditional bothies have a simple, two room arrangement described as the ‘but-and-ben’ which we emulated in our proposals. The inherent compact, linear nature of the but-and-ben arrangement resulted in a narrow depth of plan suitable for maximising natural lighting and natural ventilation. It also forms a protective wall to the external spaces facing the river. The use of glazing was considered to maximise views out and connect the interior to the landscape while minimising the risk of overheating to the building.

“We are delighted the Bothy & Tur has been shortlisted in the Community & Faith Category. The project was a unique opportunity to enhance existing facilities at Cuningar Loop and also provide a multifunctional space for community groups to meet and work within this fantastic setting. Working with the existing urban woodland environment in a sensitive manner was a central to the design process, embedding the structures into the landscape and developing an architecture that relates to place and purpose in equal measure.”

               – Julie Benson, Associate, jmarchitects

For more information on this project: https://jmarchitects.net/the-bothy-and-tur-at-cuningar-loop/

Photography Credit: Keith Hunter Photography