December 2 2024

The Scotsman Group has expanded its leisure portfolio with the addition of a B-listed neo-Jacobean hospital in St Andrews, Fife, to its roster of historic hotels.

Gibson House on Argyle Street, currently operated as a care home by the William Gibson Trust, will shortly be vacated as the organisation moves to newly built premises at St Andrews West next May.

Drawing inspiration from Medieval 'Riggs', elongated parcels of land defined by a built street frontage and gardens to the rear, the chosen approach will replace unsympathetic rear additions with perpendicular bedroom wings.

In a consultation statement, the group wrote: "The design approach reflects the rigg typology. Linear blocks or 'riggs' are proposed to the rear of the site, running on a north-south axis, reflecting the medieval street pattern and riggs of St Andrews and matching the height of the adjacent residential developments."

Drawing on the expertise of its in-house trades CBC Stone and CBC Architectural Metalworks, alongside HLM Architects, the group will sensitively conserve and adapt the existing building for its new role as part of this work. 

1 Comment

#1 Posted by CADMonkey on 2 Dec 2024 at 14:23 PM

I'd be surprised if there has ever been any "medieval riggs" on this site. Its outside the old town walls.
Why reference a historic town plan form when it is irrelevant to the site and leads to what appears a clumsy forced building footprint, out of touch with its immediate context.
Must do better.

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