Architecture Technology students at Robert Gordon University (RGU) have come up with fresh ideas of how to regenerate an Aberdeenshire quarry.
The fourth year students were set a brief to look at how they could regenerate the country park section of Stirling Hill Quarry, situated between Cruden Bay and Boddam, and were presented with four different scenarios from which they could choose.
The scenarios included designing a Museum of Granite and Granite Working to include teaching and learning facilities, office space, recreational and retail space, as well as a dedicated seminar and museum space; a Buchan Access and Granite Centre where people could learn about the area and its history, featuring a café, open plan retail and learning space; an outdoor activity centre for people to enjoy the outdoor environment and take part in various activities; or a micro-brewery with ancillary spaces.
Architecture Technology course leader Jonathan Scott said: “The stone from Stirling Hill Quarry has been used to construct famous buildings around the world, while the area surrounding the quarry has been regenerated to include a country park area.
“I thought it would be interesting to see the students develop further ideas for the site which would open up the area to the wider community.”
He added: “We asked the students to ensure they put environmental factors at the heart of their designs, as well as using high quality and appropriate materials.”
The students initially worked in groups before going on to resolve the technical requirements of the brief independently.
Final year student Jake Loveday said: “We were given the four options to choose from for this site, and although the brewery was tempting, we went for a museum.
“Museum projects, historically offer an enormous amount of artistic expression which also presents us a huge challenge with knowing where to start.
“It was such an unusual site with a unique history and, as it was still a working quarry, it had a very real feel.”
He added: “We will be going on to further refine the designs in the next semester.”
Classmate Steven Houston said: “In response to the brief we proposed a museum of granite and granite working for the redevelopment of the quarry.
“This was one of the more challenging projects we've been faced with. We worked together to form the initial concept and then developed it individually - because the site is so unique there was a big emphasis on contextual design.”