Neil Middleton Architects

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

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

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.

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.

27/03/2026

Almost at completion for this project, looking forward to seeing it finished.

Nearly time to celebrate! The scaffolding will be down very soon.. 🤞🏻 We will also be closed on Easter Monday to give everyone a well earned break and also to get our doorstep (really excited about this!) laid.
We are of course still open Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm apart from the above date.
Please do come and visit us and see our lovely new shop!

16/03/2026

Thinking about improving or extending your home?

Our new guide for homeowners explains the design process to those who are thinking about extending, altering or improving their home. The guide sets out some key things to consider before starting a project, what to expect at each stage, and features client reviews. Head to our homeowners page on the new website to read more.

Photo by Tom Manley Photography



https://neilmiddletonarchitects.co.uk/homeowners

06/03/2026

Clear communication is one of our priorities. Whether preparing a fee proposal, coordinating construction drawings or guiding a project through planning, our aim is to make complex things understandable and give clients confidence in the decisions being made.

With that in mind we recently updated our website to explain more clearly what we do and how we work.

Over the last few years we’ve built up experience across a wide range of projects. Alongside domestic extensions and renovations, we’ve worked on listed buildings, town-centre projects, football facilities and developer-led schemes. The new website brings these together so visitors can quickly see relevant examples and understand how our experience might apply to their own project.

Use the link below to explore the new site and read more about the update on our journal page.

Photograph by Murray Orr

https://neilmiddletonarchitects.co.uk/

27/02/2026

Congratulations to our clients Johnstone Burgh FC, who played their first-ever match under the floodlights at Keanie Park this week against Auchinlek Talbot. A historic night for the club.

Crucially, the new floodlights allow the club to meet the necessary SFA licensing requirements for further promotion. This marks the first phase of the wider masterplan for the redevelopment of the ground to create a more welcoming, accessible community sports facility.

We were pleased to help the club secure planning permission and building warrant for the floodlight installation, and it’s great to see them in use.

You can read more about our football work on our new website.

Thanks to for the photography.

23/02/2026

Today we are launching our new website!

We have slowly been building and developing a new website, to showcase our varied and updated portfolio of architectural projects.

With the same brand and values, the new site hopes to make our practice more accessible to a range of clients: homeowners, football clubs and developers. You can view it via the link in our bio.

We’ll be sharing more about our approach to designing a new website later this week.