Neil McDonald

Neil joined the practice in 2007 having studied for his Part I at Edinburgh University. He went onto complete his Part II through Oxford Brookes University whilst remaining at Simpson & Brown, combining his academic studies with professional experience. He qualified as an architect in 2015 and went on to serve as a director of APEAS (Architects’ Professional Examination Authority in Scotland Ltd) between 2015 and 2018.

Neil has worked on both public buildings and residential projects. In his early career he was involved in the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Alloway for the National Trust Scotland and went onto work on the Botanic Cottage for the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh. Neil has also led a number of large residential projects, most recently the award winning restoration Asknish House in Argyll.  

Neil is particularly focused on how to respect and reuse existing buildings and believes that considered design work combining modern and traditional construction techniques can help produce exceptional architecture.

 

KEY PROJECTS:

      

BOTANIC COTTAGE  

The cottage stood at the entrance to the original Edinburgh Botanic Garden on Leith Walk from 1763 to 1820. In 2008 the cottage was carefully dismantled and has been re-built within the current Botanic Gardens at Inverleith in 2015.

 

ASKNISH HOUSE  

Asknish House is a large B-listed Georgian country house close to the water’s edge of Lochgair in Argyll. The house was rescued from a ruin and transformed into an energy efficient family home.

 

ROBERT BURNS BIRTHPLACE MUSEUM 

The new museum plays a central part in the masterplan developed to link together and enhance the experience of the different sites in Alloway relating to the poet's life and legacy.