Neil Middleton Architects

Neil Middleton Architects We work on projects across Scotland from our office in the old town of Edinburgh.

This week marks a year since Eleanor joined us as a Part 2 Architectural Assistant. The time has gone quickly, but the m...
07/08/2026

This week marks a year since Eleanor joined us as a Part 2 Architectural Assistant. The time has gone quickly, but the milestone gives us a chance to reflect on the significant contribution she has made to the practice over the past twelve months.

We talk through all of our projects regularly. Whether it is at the outset, when we are considering the layout of a house, or later in the process, when deciding on the specification of windows or insulation, Eleanor’s eye for detail and design sensitivity help us make good decisions for our clients.

She carries out much of the drawing work within the practice, often balancing the requirements of several projects at different stages, and uses her technical skills to turn our ideas into clear, buildable designs.

As she works towards her professional qualification, Eleanor is also taking on more responsibility within the practice. She is beginning to take the lead on projects during construction, carries out much of the coordination work with consultants and attends meetings on behalf of the practice. This growing experience is strengthening our team and helping us work with more clients to help them realise the potential of the places they care about.

It has been great to see Eleanor’s progress over the past year, and we look forward to seeing her continue to develop.

I’m on my way down to Dumfries today to look at an interesting intervention in the town centre and meet a family to disc...
31/07/2026

I’m on my way down to Dumfries today to look at an interesting intervention in the town centre and meet a family to discuss the concept design for an exciting extension project.

Both are still at an early stage, so more on them later.

I'm originally from Dumfries, so it's a place I know well and care about. I still spend a lot of time here visiting family and friends, and we've been fortunate to work on a range of interesting projects across the area.

We've particularly enjoyed playing our part in the regeneration of the town centre. It has streets and spaces with great potential, but like many town centres across Scotland it has been affected by changing shopping habits and wider societal change, leaving a lot of empty shops and underused upper floors.

The situation needs to change so that town centres are viewed as mixed-use neighbourhoods rather than simply shopping destinations, with a mix of occupants bringing life and vibrancy back to the streets and spaces. This is an approach is supported by planning policy and by the efforts of the who are making real strides in delivering community-led town centre housing.

We're also pleased to be playing our part in that vision of a renewed town centre. We've worked with a number of developer clients on projects to develop vacant spaces above shops into new homes. This image shows one of those projects, between English Street and Shakespeare Street, where we worked with our client to create two residential properties above commercial premises.

Like many town centre sites, it was a difficult context to work in. The property was made up of several disparate elements that were once separate buildings before later becoming a single commercial premises. Given that complexity, we're really pleased that we were able to develop a design that responded to the site's constraints while creating two viable new homes in a town centre location. Although we're not involved in the construction phase, it's great to see our client continuing to bring the project to life.

We're proud to play a small part in the regeneration of Dumfries and work with people who are investing in its future.

Every year the EAA awards the JR McKay Medal to the best final year undergraduate student at ESALA.Last week I was privi...
06/07/2026

Every year the EAA awards the JR McKay Medal to the best final year undergraduate student at ESALA.

Last week I was privileged to be one of this year’s judges, along with Seva Yurchenko, and Cesare Galligani.

We spent a very interesting two hours looking over the work of several students shortlisted by the teaching staff and were impressed with the work and endeavour that had gone into all the projects. We particularly enjoyed the maturity and subtlety of the architecture in several of the proposals, and were impressed by the clarity of presentation and technical understanding in others.

The .edinburgh will be announcing the winner in due course.

A project from our archive that we have been revisiting recently.We were commissioned to explore the feasibility of a sm...
03/07/2026

A project from our archive that we have been revisiting recently.

We were commissioned to explore the feasibility of a small holiday cabin on a rural site in Midlothian with views across the Pentland Hills. A derelict caravan had occupied the site for several decades, and our client wanted to replace it with something more useful and better suited to its setting.

Our proposal was for a compact timber cabin with a red metal roof, a small kitchenette and living space, and a sleeping deck above. Despite its modest size, the design aimed to make the most of the site's spectacular views.

We enjoyed the opportunity to design this little building, although the project was ultimately unable to proceed due to difficulties providing a fresh water supply to the site.

A closer look at the wall build-up and window detail at Gullane House.We try to keep our material palette simple and use...
19/06/2026

A closer look at the wall build-up and window detail at Gullane House.

We try to keep our material palette simple and use sustainable materials wherever possible. For this extension, the wall build-up is timber throughout: a timber frame structure, wood fibre insulation and thermopine cladding from Russwood which will weather naturally to a silvery grey over time.

We took the time to carefully set out of the rainscreen timber cladding helps give the elevations rhythm and character.

The wood fibre insulation wraps around the outside of the structure, creating a particularly effective thermal envelope. The triple-glazed windows combine timber frames with aluminium cladding externally, providing warmth and natural materials inside, with durability and low maintenance outside.

Getting these details right at an early stage helps improve building performance, reduces embodied carbon and lower energy use. It's something we enjoy helping homeowners achieve as part of the design process.

Photos by Tfm Photos

29/05/2026

We shared our quarterly email newsletter yesterday.

It always feels worthwhile to take a step back every few months and reflect on what we have achieved, the milestones we have reached, and how the practice has progressed.

This (almost) summer edition focuses on several projects to extend and alter family homes in Edinburgh, alongside updates on two projects for licensed premises in Dumfries and Galloway.

We only send out our newsletter quarterly and would love to welcome a few more subscribers to our mailing list. You can find a link to the latest edition and a sign up link for future editions via the link here:
https://neilmiddletonarchitects.us17.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=e18e1ff427bc3fe5538029b09&id=d801082920

Last week at our annual members meeting my term as president of the Edinburgh Architectural Association came to an end a...
27/05/2026

Last week at our annual members meeting my term as president of the Edinburgh Architectural Association came to an end and I presented the President's medal to our incoming president, Emma Garland.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my two years in the role, particularly chairing the monthly council meetings and working alongside such an engaged and positive group of trustees. Over the last two years we have put on some great events and several people commented last week on the increased contribution that the EAA has made to the architectural community in Edinburgh lately.

To mark the end of my term I have written a short reflection on the role of the EAA and architectural community, which you can read on the journal section of our website.

https://neilmiddletonarchitects.co.uk/journal

With still top of the league with only two games to go and playing their final home game of the season tonight, we have...
13/05/2026

With still top of the league with only two games to go and playing their final home game of the season tonight, we have been reflecting on some of the work we have done at Tynecastle over the last few years.

After Hearts qualified for Europe in the 2023/24 season, we were commissioned to redesign the technical area shelters to meet UEFA licensing capacity requirements.

The challenge was to increase their seat capacity within the footprint of the previous shelters, whilst also taking on feedback from the football department in terms of seating configuration and pitch sightlines.

We were inspired by the iconic club crest and took the time to break down and understand the geometry of the heart shape. Our design solution uses the curve of the Hearts badge as the structure, helping the new shelters feel integrated with the club’s identity.

We worked closely with the club, engineer and metal fabricator to a tight close season deadline, with installation completed in time for the start of the 2024/25 season and the club’s return to European competition. The new technical areas are now fully UEFA compliant and provide state-of-the-art facilities for the first team and coaching staff.

Good luck to Hearts in their quest for a first league title since 1960.

04/05/2026

In this project, we transformed an outdated utility room into a bright living space connected to the garden. The existing offshoot was used as a utility room with a small WC. It had thin stone walls, leaky windows and minimal insulation, so it was cold and dark. The window looked onto a courtyard, with no outlook to the main garden.

As part of a wider home renovation project, we relocated the utility room and WC elsewhere in the house. This allowed us to open up and remodel the offshoot, to turn it into a bright space, connected to both the kitchen and the garden. New triple glazed windows bring in plenty of light and the door opens up directly onto the garden.

The existing stone walls are insulated using a breathable cork-based plaster. We also designed some custom joinery that provides both storage and bench seating.

We are looking forward to seeing the space become lived-in and how it changes the way the clients use their kitchen and garden. More updates to follow.

We have recently been involved in a project to convert a former bank building into , a new High Street cocktail bar in D...
21/04/2026

We have recently been involved in a project to convert a former bank building into , a new High Street cocktail bar in Dalbeattie.

It has been rewarding to collaborate with our clients Patrick and Laura to bring this elegant building back to life.

Our approach has been to restore the original proportions of the main interior space by removing later interventions - including the suspended ceiling to expose the original cornices. Two additional windows on the gable bring daylight deep into the interior. The back-of-house areas have been planned to work efficiently while making use of existing services, with a small upstairs space retained as an office.

We have secured planning permission and building warrant approval for the project as well as provided drawings for the licensing application and are looking forward to seeing the bar open later this year.

Address

The Breakfast Mission, 15 Old Fishmarket Close
Edinburgh
EH11AE

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5:30pm
Tuesday 9am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 9am - 5:30pm
Thursday 9am - 5:30pm
Friday 9am - 5:30pm

Telephone

+441312583228

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