Award Winning Architects for Portavadie Design

The Portavadie Marina development is a £30 million mixed use integrated resort that brings together luxury apartments, lodges and multi-use facilities in one of the most exciting new expansions in the Scottish tourism sector.

The brainchild of architects from Stewart Associates, the style of the project is contemporary with a nautical feel, using simple, high quality materials and renewable technologies. ‘The client’s aspirations were to create one of the best marina facilities in Britain – for both sea and shoreside facilities,’ said architect Brian Stewart. ‘The site was a brownfield former oil rig construction yard that had lain derelict since the early 1980s and was well known in Argyll as being a local eyesore. The opportunity to create something meaningful from the dereliction was challenging to say the least.’ The office, restaurant, bar, changing and kitchen facilities were designed with varying uses in mind ‘The building is effectively multi-use in that it provides staff, visitor and berth holder facilities within a single group of linked buildings.’ Brian said. ‘The rationale behind the solution was developed with the client, based on expected scenarios of low and peak season use.’ A series of luxury 5-star letting apartments complement the Facilities Building, designed for optimum views, flexible use of space, low energy and maintenance with heat pump and solar panel technology. The lodges, which form a landward ‘gateway’ to Portavadie Marina, are a mix of single two and three story construction, designed for flexible numbers of visitors. A central biomass boiler plant with fuel supplied from the client group’s forest resource provides space and water heating. ‘The design considered energy use from first principles,’ said Brian. ‘Argyll has fairly poor mains services infrastructure and the scale of development proposed was such that self-sufficiency in energy terms could be considered as a realistic aim.’ The buildings are designed to maximise daylight penetration to the interiors, while being shaded from excessive solar gain. Brian said: ‘Early design models developed the theme of overhanging terraces / roofs to create a balance in the principal public areas. As such, use of artificial lighting is minimised. When in-use it is controlled by pre-set scene settings to create ambiance and adequate task lighting – all fittings are low energy.’ The architects used sustainable materials, such as reclaimed natural stone throughout the building and crushed stone and aggregates from the reclaimed seawall for general fill and surfacing. The end result is a spectacular, state of the art marina, spa and leisure centre that takes pride of place on the shores of Loch Fyne. Brian hopes that locals and visitors alike will feel the building has a sense of place, something pleasantly unexpected in a quiet corner of Argyll. ‘The progression of space within the building allows it to be explored at, literally, different levels, but all with a common design theme and open views to the marina and beyond.’ The recently completed leisure and spa building won an Argyll and Bute sustainable design award in 2015. For more information visit www.stewart-associates.com