56three operate across a wide range of sectors, committed to designing buildings and places appropriate to the surroundings whilst specific to your needs. We have an experienced and flexible cross sector team with specialisms and passion appropriate to meet your requirements.

Architecture
56three is a vibrant practice of highly creative and imaginative architects committed to designing with people at the heart of our projects. We design places, spaces and buildings that combine efficiency, craft and innovation with a strong social, economic and environmental agenda.

Our architecture is informed by a strong commercial awareness, with clients and stakeholders at the heart of what we do.

We work across a range of architectural sectors, with particular skills and experience in the wide field of residential accommodation, such as Mainstream Housing, Supported Living, Purpose Built Student Accommodation, Co-Living, Build to Rent, Care Sector Accommodation and Affordable Housing. We also have extensive and specialist experience in Sports and Leisure buildings such as Golf Clubhouses and Community Facilities.

We have developed a reputation for creativity and innovation, supported with a proven track record of translating concept designs and capacity studies into elegant technical details and successful project delivery.

Interior Design
56three believe that architecture extends beyond the envelope. We provide bespoke interior design services either as a standalone service or part of an architectural appointment. Our passion for well-designed spaces ensures that every aspect of the interior is considered right down to the individual furniture components and bespoke joinery.

Our work seeks to create a holistic solution. Our attention to detail and strong technical skills ensure complete integration with MEP installations and structural expression. Through integrated 3D visualisation we can provide an immersive client experience and coordinated approach to ensure the mutual vision is understood and all aspects of the design considered and reviewed before reaching the construction stage.

From period conversions to contemporary new builds we provide you with optimised spaces to suit your individual needs considering careful use of light and materials precisely detailed.

Conservation
We are passionate about bringing historic buildings into full use and finding sympathetic new functions for buildings that may have outlived their original purpose. We have an in-house team with many years of working with listed buildings and have RIAS conservation accreditation as well as the enthusiasm to make the very best of the opportunities presented. Our aim is to breathe new life into buildings that may otherwise deteriorate and be lost.

Every project that is either fully or partly focussed on conservation has an individual set of parameters. Our approach is to assess the condition and significance of the existing fabric, recommend the conservation processes, design the new development, liaise with the required stakeholders including Listed Building officers, planners, Historic Environment Scotland, amenity bodies and the local community, and work with the construction team to deliver a final product that fulfils the client requirements and benefits from the best of the historic fabric.

Our experience enables sector specific specialisms to inform your project bringing value and expertise to ensure an appropriate and informed solution is achieved. Our reputation in each sector demonstrates a proven track record for delivering projects on time and budget.

Masterplanning

Our approach to masterplanning is centered on the belief that the quality of place is reflected in the quality of life, whether that is in the home, the workplace or the spaces in between. We consider the local, social, cultural and environmental context of a project, always looking well beyond the constraints of a redline boundary for information and inspiration but recognising the need to balance creativity with commercial awareness.

We provide a service which allows our client to make timely decisions, informing the approach and generating a controlled development plan to permit incremental development, minimising risk whilst ensuring a cohesive and comprehensive masterplan.

Our methodology draws on the fundamentals of scale, grain, orientation and movement but equally of character, history and identity to create functional and flexible masterplans, bringing a range of economic and community benefits whilst delivering lasting value.

Brand Development
Brand doesn’t stop at standard collateral such as logos, letterheads and website. Through architecture and interior design we ensure that the product be it bold and apparent or subdued and understated is clearly and holistically integrated. We have extensive experience working with clients developing guidelines to manage and develop their product resulting in standard specification documentation to control the design process providing continuity across their portfolio.

We can offer you a range of experiences and services to develop your brand from either its inception, redesign or perhaps simply recording the existing approach for future continuity. We approach each commission individually to ensure the service meets your needs employing a series of methods such as interview / review of existing information likely visiting existing buildings in the portfolio to establish the current approach, developing ideas through team workshops, and presenting 2D and 3D information to clearly convey your existing or developing requirements.

The conclusion of this approach will provide you with documentation for external consultants to adhere to, funders to understand the product they will be supporting, and contractors to price from. We have found this approach successfully accelerates procurement of work stages and gives you security on the end product.

Project Monitoring
56three have a long standing experience carrying out design and project monitoring typically alongside brand development and management. Our service will be tailored to suit your specific needs be it simple audit checks to ensure alignment with your specific branding or extended monthly site inspections and design team liaison / technical review. We find this requirement suits a forward funded approach to procurement where you require external design and technical support to manage the incumbent team and their alignment with your requirements.

Through our proven space planning expertise, from inception we will carry out density assessments to ensure the incumbent design maximises density and aligns with your specific requirements, delivering best value for the project. Following this and once a comprehensive set of Employer’s Requirements are established for the Development Agreement, we can provide a comprehensive service of checking procedures, site inspections, and monthly progress meeting attendance with associated reporting at each stage. This not only highlights the immediate actions to address divergence in brand or quality but also provides an audit trail throughout the develop to assist future matters arising as well as giving confidence to funders and stakeholders.