Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Designs on work that helps planet
AWARD-winning eco architect Kirsty Maguire has worked and travelled the world in a series of adventures.
But she reckons Dundee is the best place to work and has designed a host of projects in the area.
Kirsty, 42, from Newport, is originally from Aberdeen and trained in Edinburgh and Holland before settling in Dundee.
She said: “I opened my architect’s practice here in Dundee in 2011 and I love the city.
“There’s a lot happening here in the creative world and I also love it for its location close to the sea and mountains.
“It is really well connected to the rest of the country and further afield and that is important for my job as our work takes us all over Scotland.”
Kirsty has just scooped an award for work at the Tentsmuir National Nature Reserve after designing the pavilion there, which was opened in June this year.
It is regularly visited by school groups to learn about the dune system landscape and its flora and fauna.
She added: “I am delighted to win the award which was given out by Education Buildings Scotland for the category of Inspiring Learning Spaces.
“The company was also shortlisted for the category Innovation in Delivering Sustainable Learning Space.
“My colleague, Grigor Mitchell, ran the project while I was on a 10-month sabbatical travelling in the Antarctic.
“I did all the design and the technical details and he was on site.”
Kirsty appeared in the Tele earlier this year in relation to her incredible journey during which she encountered wildlife up close from penguins and seals to sailing close to whales.
She got the travel bug from her great uncle, Douglas Scott, who was an explorer and photographer, and also from her dad who took her as a child in his rucksack on his back when hill climbing.
Her offices are in the city’s Meadow Mill on West Henderson’s Wynd. She added: “We have a long family history of architects and worked in different places around the world because I have the travel bug.
“We work on passive home designs, which is eco friendly, low impact and low carbon so they are warm and cosy with little energy and high performance. We designed one in Invergowrie and another in Dundee.”