Mugdock Castle Meditation Retreat
Scottish Castle Conservation Competition
Project Location:
Mugdock Castle, Scotland
Completed:
September 2022
Award:
Special Mention
The castle is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and a Category A listed building located in the vast Mugdock Country Park, 10 miles north of Glasgow close to the populations of Milngavie. Situated on a rocky outcrop and originally surrounded on three sides by Mugdock Loch, the castle was the administrative centre for the lands of Mugdock and one of the strongholds of the powerful Clan Graham, dating back to at least 1372.
The proposal is to restore and reconnect this piece of heritage setting with program and functions for wellbeing, to form spaces that support rejuvenation of an individual’s mind, body and soul. We aim to create spaces that depict the treasure of knowledge (learning), spiritual attainment (meditation), physical wellbeing (yoga), re-establishment of the connection between man and nature through water, plants and trees as well as the materials chosen to construct the spaces to support this program.
The proposal seeks to investigate the conservation and preservation of the castle using mycorestoration – exploring biomaterials, primarily mycelium as a mechanism for ‘growing’ and conserving the fragile castle ruin. Mycelium-based compounds as a fully degradable material leave minimal footprints on the castle ruins whilst being able to rapidly grow structures cultivated from composites of bio-materials and agricultural waste. This has the potential to impact current construction and conservation practices and challenge our perception of the permanence of buildings.
Is sustainability important to you too?
We design functional, beautiful spaces for our clients that are context-fitting and environmentally conscious.
We like to experiment with new materials that has low embodied energy, is sustainable and treads lightly on the earth.