longhouse restaurant, dundee
Existing Building
The site for this project is located on the site of a former tyre fitting garage with land to the rear of the property which has a steep slope and boundaries onto the railway line. The existing garage building is poorly constructed with major structural problems that cannot easily be rectified, it was therefore decided that a new building would be required to meet the client’s brief.
Design Proposals
We shared our client’s determination to create a piece of architecture appropriate to the prominent site and to the brief for a Malaysian Restaurant on one of Dundee’s major arterial routes.
The design developed over a period of about a year, working closely with both the Planning Department and the Economic Development Department at Dundee City Council to agree the purchase of some additional land to make room for car parking and in trying to meet the numerous planning policy issues.
The brief was to create an authentic Malaysian restaurant, and it was considered that the design could represent contemporary Scottish architecture whilst reflecting elements of traditional Malay buildings. We felt that, from a sustainable perspective, the building should have the possibility of another use in the future and is therefore clearly defined between served open plan space and service space to the north. The building presents a fairly solid elevation to the road to mitigate the high noise levels and opens up to the south to maximise views over the river Tay.