Michelle Tang

Summary

The Foraging School is part of a wider masterplan where each project is located near an “anchor” which marks the edge of the historical core of Duddingston. The community orchard and willow nursery acts as an anchor for the school, where the existing site is located on a steep hill which overlooks the loch and beyond.

To blend in with the surroundings, the project features an extensive stepped landscaping scheme which incorporates the apple trees into the design, whilst also enabling pedestrian and vehicle access. The building itself is a timber construction with concrete cores, conceptually mirroring a tree and its roots, branches, and canopies.

The ground floor is used as double-heighted workshop space for cooking/making cider and willow weaving, whilst the middle level offers a shop where visitors can purchase the produce. The highest level features a café/bar where one may also try the produce, as well as having an outside terrace which offers panoramic views. Nature has been incorporated into the design to ensure the continuity of the wild language used in the landscape.