June 20 2019

The B-listed Roxburghe Hotel near Kelso is to be transformed into a ‘destination resort’ under plans to radically extend the existing 20-bedroom hotel by its new owners.

12.18 Investment Management has commissioned Ian Springford Architects to build an additional 62 bedrooms in a rear wing while also introducing a new restaurant, spa and conference venue, as well as accessible facilities in support of a further 60 woodland lodges.

The pared-back contemporary extension will be finished in a mix of stone and zinc to marry with its historic neighbour with individual functions expressed as separate pitched-roof forms to break up the massing.

In their design overview, the architects observed: “The extension is at its simplest adjacent to the existing house but becomes progressively more animated through towards the south. The extension is terminated by a taller, stone gable to the building to negate the impression that it could be extended indefinitely and to break up the scale of the extension along the length of it.”

An external spa garden and terracing is also proposed to further wed the extension to the landscape.

11 Comments

#1 Posted by StyleCouncil on 20 Jun 2019 at 13:01 PM

Surprised by this, and not in a good way. It has an unfortunate whiff of business parkitechiture about it.

#2 Posted by Clarinda on 20 Jun 2019 at 15:10 PM

This is really, really awful. Poor choice of materials, uninspiring and boxy.

Give it 20 years and this will be a very dated eyesore tacked on to what otherwise is a lovely building.

#3 Posted by Damp Proof Membrane on 20 Jun 2019 at 16:44 PM

What a wasted opportunity.

#4 Posted by aaaggh NotDorisJohnston! on 21 Jun 2019 at 10:08 AM

Even by the standards of RSA , that's one awful scheme. Doesn't say much for the client . Travelodge architect set loose on listed building by investment manager Rottweiler . What could go wrong?

#5 Posted by boaby wan on 21 Jun 2019 at 10:37 AM

Are these the same guys who did the hideous extension to meldrum house?
Looks to have the same level of sensitivity applied anyway

#6 Posted by town planner on 21 Jun 2019 at 14:10 PM

Well this one's particularly bad...

#7 Posted by aaaggh NotDorisJohnston on 21 Jun 2019 at 14:28 PM

1st ... please excuse earlier typo.
Ian Springford so ISA not RSA , .. sorry

2nd
"The extension is at its simplest adjacent to the existing house but becomes progressively more animated ..towards the south"... I'm getting progressively more animated reading this apology of a 'design overview'. Has all the animation of a flat rabbit on the A68 .. a car crash of a design. Clarinda is right apart from the timescale .. out the blocks !! why wait 20 yr.
hmmm social media this really does bring out the worst .. apology no.2

but regardless, it isn't a class act ...

#8 Posted by alibi on 22 Jun 2019 at 18:50 PM

The comments section on UR could really do with some positive suggestions alongside the constructive criticism. The latter comes through loud and clear but what approach do those commenting think would actually work best for the existing building?

#9 Posted by Cadmonkey on 23 Jun 2019 at 02:28 AM

Given the importance of the detailed connection of the proposal with the existing assembly of buildings, I am astonished that this application doesn’t focus on that re. viability for its cause. It looks extremely clumsy and corporate.
I’ve stayed there before, I’m sure there are hundreds others too, and paid premium for the privilege.
Not again, but thanks for the memories, esp. the ice cream flavours.

#10 Posted by it wisny me on 23 Jun 2019 at 13:27 PM

#8 - OK, so here's a tuppence worth then.
All justifications, words and diagrams in the planning and design statements in the world miss the obvious staring us in the face that all that needs tweaking here is an aspect of the roof form. It really ought to be self-evident to anyone that is visually literate that the flat roof just does not work in the context of the existing building. (too long in the explaining - so lets skip to a solution)
I'd suggest look at the 70/80's ROOF FORM ONLY of Loch Melfort hotel extension. It's a far happier and softer juxtaposition (just for a start) than this proposal.
I'd explore having a series of modern gables (not pastiche, but sculpturally rossi-esque).
Ther, that's my suggestion. Now, who do I send the consultation fee to? Maybe that's why folk don't suggest design approaches on this forum.

#11 Posted by Stylecouncil on 24 Jun 2019 at 07:35 AM

#8A more crafted, site specific response would be a start. The proposals shown here could be lifted from any new, but intensely mediocre, edge of town commercial development.

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