The best of the Cosmic Inspiro-Cloud 2011
For the last two years, I have published a daily image on Tumblr under the banner of the Cosmic Inspiro-Cloud. This started out as a collection of images that I wanted to keep for easy reference – a sort of Pinterest before its time – but I developed a curiosity about the popularity of certain images…
SWARD: Dungannon Integrated Village Plans
We were appointed by Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council as part of a team led by Rural Development Council and the Venturei Network to develop a series of proposals for seven rural settlements namely Aughinduff, Aughnacloy, Augher/Clogher, Ballygawley,...
The Last Icon – Glasgow’s Riverside Museum
This article was originally published in a slightly shorter form in the autumn 2011 issue of the Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland (AHSS) Magazine. All photographs were taken by my friend Jon-Marc Creaney (@scarpadog), owner of GCA...
Kilmarnock Integrated Urban Development Plan
The Kilmarnock Integrated Urban Development Plan was commissioned by the Make it Kilmarnock Board in the autumn of 2010, and funded by East Ayrshire Council and Diageo. Its focus was on the central area of the town, in and around the town centre, and including the Diageo site.
SWARD: Cookstown Integrated Village Plans
We were appointed by Cookstown District Council as part of a team led by Rural Development Council and the Venturei Network to develop a series of proposals for rural settlements including Coagh, Moneymore, Pomeroy, Stewartstown and The Rock – the Cookstown Integrated …
Glasgow’s M74 Extension – a view from the road?
More than ten years into the 21st century it feels strange to be writing about a new urban motorway but just such an entity was opened to traffic in Glasgow in June 2011. The motorway connects the M74 from Carmyle to Tradeston and Kinning Park then to the M8 heading for Glasgow Airport…
Health facilities and development planning
WMUD were appointed by Architecture and Design Scotland as part of the Inverness City Vision study to carry out a mapping exercise looking at the effect of local development planning approaches on the healthcare estate. – the integration of health facilities and development planning.
Orkney Futures: New Futurism and the death of nostalgia
The idea that the future was exciting took hold in Orkney half a century ago, some years before the islands lost their World Heritage Site status. Around that time, Orkney experienced a growth in trading and super-technology and in common with the rest of an independent Scotland
Mirror Land: Mirror Van, Mirror Me – after Don Van Vliet
I’m wondering why I find this so interesting – this glistening caravan. It looks as though a mysterious, Tardis-like object has suddenly appeared at Brodgar. But then why does it suit the landscape so well? It’s just a box with wheels. Does the box have mirrored sides, or is the countryside simply painted on?
Glenrothes Town Centre Action Plan: a long term vision
In February 2010, Glenrothes Area Committee approved a process which would lead towards the development of a Glenrothes Town Centre Action Plan. Fife Council created an internal cross service project team and appointed Yellow Book, WMUD and Nick Wright Planning to prepare an action plan…
Bordeaux Métropole 3.1: design at a metropolitan scale
In late 2010, INTA (International Urban Development Association) travelled to Bordeaux where they had been invited by Vincent Feltesse, the President of the Communité Urbaine de Bordeaux, La CUB, to organise an international panel to reflect on a long range vision for Bordeaux
Strathaven Town Centre: improving viability and vitality
We were commissioned as part of a team led by Kevin Murray Associates including Nick Wright Planning and Hamilton-Baillie Associates to undertake a brief study of Strathaven town centre in collaboration with the local community. The aim of the study was to suggest ways
The best of the Cosmic Inspiro-Cloud 2010
Since 2008 I’ve been collecting a series of images on Tumblr under the banner of the Cosmic Inspiro-Cloud. This started out as a collection of images that I wanted to keep for easy reference – a sort of Pinterest before its time – but I developed a curiosity about the popularity of certain images
Helsinki’s Trams and Infrastructure: foresight and strategy
This short article was originally published in the Guardian Edinburgh under the title ‘Spotlight on trams: Helsinki’. The Guardian has given up its local experiment so this post, together with a similar article on trams in Bordeaux may disappear at any time from the Guardian’s pages
Bordeaux’s Trams: structuring the city
This short article was originally published in the Guardian Edinburgh under the title 'Spotlight on trams: Bordeaux'. The Guardian has given up its local experiment so this post, together with a similar article on infrastructure in Helsinki may disappear at any time...
Moyle Tourism: development strategy and action plan
We were appointed by Moyle District Council to provide a tourism development strategy and action plan – the Moyle Tourism Strategy. Moyle has a strong competitive advantage as it includes some of the most iconic tourist destinations on the island of Ireland, including…
Coleraine Harbour Vision: utilising strategic context
WMUD were appointed as part of a team led by Derry based RPD Consulting to examine the harbour lands of Coleraine and provide advice on a way forward. It was accepted from the outset that the land was more than a development opportunity and have to be viewed in a…
Community futures for Orkney villages
We have completed a study for Orkney Islands Council sketching out community futures for Orkney villages and future possibilities for the communities of Dounby, Finstown and St Margaret’s Hope. Originally described by the client as village masterplans, these loose collections of proposals for three …