Guess the Building.

We are enjoying our new surroundings, after months of planning we have now opened our Edinburgh office. So can you Guess what this building is, located only a stones throw from our new studio? There is no denying the gravitas of this beautifully crafted building.

When you take time out to study old buildings, you start to notice all sorts of intriguing and captivating details, that reveal the motives and values of their patrons. This is true of most traditional buildings, whether intended or not. Some are very subtle and require a little more knowledge and experience to identify and explain. In this case, the symbolism is right “in your face”.

The Doric columns, boldest of the classical orders, supports lintels decorated with the motifs of laurel wreaths. In ancient Greece, these were worn as an honour signifying achievement in sport or the arts. It is where the term poet laureate is derived. The saying "resting on one's laurels" comes from this and means that someone relaxes now because he or she did something good in the past.

A young Queen looks imperial as she gazes across the skyline, guarded by sphinx. The sphinx is a mythical creature from ancient Greece, said to have guarded temples to protect the secret of the Gods from the uninitiated. The sphinx tested whether visitors were worthy to enter with riddles and if not answered correctly, it would hunt down and eat the unfortunate soul.

What could be of such value, that it had to be provided with a building as powerful and significant as this?

MAAC studio are accredited conservation architects and principal designers working with traditional buildings throughout Scotland.

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