Shauna Cameron
My practice, Shauna Cameron Architect, has been designing buildings across Argyll’s mainland and islands for more than 20 years. The only architect in Argyll with Accreditation in Conservation Architecture, I have supported groups and individuals restoring traditional buildings, giving them a new lease of life. I am interested in local history, both of buildings and people, and there is always something new to learn from the past. I particularly enjoy working alongside community groups, helping them enhance the local environment with an attractive building that respects the landscape and at the same time provides significant social benefit providing a hub for locals and visitors. I was commissioned by the Isle of Luing Community Trust to design a home for the Luing History Group, combined with a flexible exhibition area, gallery, work spaces, a café/ restaurant, and a shop selling local crafts. The trust was keen to reflect the historic nature of the site while at the same time providing modern flexible facilities. Dramatically perched on the edge of one of the flooded quarries on the site of the former Engine House in Cullipool village, the new building reflects the scale and character of the original quarry building and the nearby houses. My interest in traditional buildings along with a desire to provide a modern, bright, energy-efficient building resulted in this design that changed little from its initial sketches to the final building. Winning the Scottish Civic Trust My Place Award 2016 was the icing on the cake. While I enjoy solving the problems of traditional buildings, I am very happy to create 21st-century buildings and this is reflected in the many individual homes I have designed. Modern living spaces where family activities take place in one open space, the introduction of renewable technologies and the variety of materials available have informed my designs. I enjoy working closely with each client to make sure that the house is tailored to their needs. I am influenced by the landscape, the light and the local architectural traditions of the West Coast. Architecture is all around us everyday, it’s where we work and live and play. Good architecture can be dramatic and innovative or just ‘good ordinary’. It has a major influence on how we perceive our towns, villages and landscape. I try to ensure that my client’s buildings make a positive contribution wherever they are located.