Andrew Carnegie House, Dunfermline Headquarters Building, Images, Location

Carnegie HQ Dunfermline : Scottish Headquarters Building

HQ for the Carnegie UK Trust, Fife, Scotland – design by Page Park Architects

13 Feb 2008

Carnegie UK Trust Dunfermline

New Carnegie HQ in Fife

Design: Page Park Architects

Photos © Andrew Lee

Andrew Carnegie House, the new headquarters, designed by Page Park for the Carnegie UK Trust was opened by Princess Anne on 13 February 2008. The building provides office space for all three Carnegie Trusts, bringing them together into one building for the first time.

The architects have designed the headquarters as a pavilion on the edge of Pittencrieff Park. The building recognises both the scale of the urban street and the natural setting of the park, and sits on a grass plateau bounded to the south and east by an existing stone wall, to the north by new metal railings to Pittencrieff Street and to the west by a new hedge.

The curved form breaks down the building mass, and connects the single storey office space visually to the park. The roof forms a single continuous sweep, spiralling upwards to link the two floors together.

The two storey, vesica shape construction houses communal functions at ground floor level with a boardroom and gallery at the first floor whilst the office space is defi ned by the large zinc monopitch roof.

The two separate volumes are fused together at the entrance and stair as the lower roof rises and curves to join the upper roof to form a total floor area of 731 sq metres. The design of the building encourages a flow of people through the space thus introducing interaction between the the three different Trusts located in one space.

Materials used in the construction are brick cavity walls and structural timber studs clad with Siberian Larch. A low energy ground source heating system, coupled with natural ventilation to the offices, ensures a low-energy sustainable environment.

The glazed wall to the offices which faces south west opens up the building to the park beyond, whilst the deep roof overhang and solar control glass act to reduce solar gain. The glazed rooflight which separates the single and two storey spaces fills the circulation space with natural light.

The project started on site in November 2006 and was completed within budget with occupation in December 2007.

Page Park
Page Park is a thriving Glasgow based practice of 35 staff working across a number of sectors including public buildings, conservation, education, housing and commercial projects. The practice has a reputation for thoughtful and dynamic design responding to what are often challenging and sensitive contexts. A concern for the future of the environment is refl ected in a thorough understanding of human relationships and aspirations in building design through to appropriate models for the shaping and development of the urban landscape.

The Carnegie UK Trust
The Carnegie UK Trust was founded in 1913 to address the changing needs of the people of the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is one of the best known and respected foundations in the British Isles. The Trust is one of over twenty set up worldwide by Scots-American Philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie established 20 Trusts and institutions world wide, four of which are based in Scotland, working to support a more just, democratic, peaceful and sustainable world.

Andrew Carnegie is now recognised as the world’s first capitalist philanthropist, and a role model for the new generation of philanthropists, from Bill Gates to Scotland’s Sir Tom Hunter. Carnegie was at one time the richest man in the world. His dictum was ‘to die rich is to die disgraced,’ and he spent the last 20 years of his life giving almost all of his wealth away.

There are currently over 20 Carnegie trusts and institutions worldwide, four of which are in Scotland, working to support a more just, democratic, peaceful and sustainable world.

Carnegie UK Trust Scottish Headquarters – images / information from Wendy House PR

Carnegie HQ Scotland architects : Page Park

Location: Dunfermline, Scotland