Discover how Kieran Gaffney of Konishi Gaffney reimagines a historic Edinburgh cottage with natural materials, soft textures and enhanced connections to light and landscape. Explore the full article here.

We’re delighted to share that Konishi Gaffney has been shortlisted as finalists for the Scottish Design Awards 2025.

Our Silecroft Beach Café has been recognised in the Public Building Award category. This unique coastal project was developed in collaboration with Turner Prize-winning artist Martin Boyce and has been beautifully captured by photographer Richard Gaston.

We’re also pleased to announce that our low-carbon houses at Glenelg have been shortlisted for the Future Building or Project Award, alongside our colleague Mike’s private project at Loch Awe.

We’re delighted that our Jessfield Terrace residential project has been featured in the March 2025 issue of Homebuilding & Renovating, in a beautifully written article titled “In Full Flow.” This thoughtfully designed home in Edinburgh’s Trinity neighbourhood showcases our studio’s approach to modern home design, residential comfort and adaptable living spaces.

As local, award-winning Edinburgh architects, we were honoured to work with clients who valued a collaborative and creative design process. Their kind words about our service and architectural approach are quoted in the article—now available to read in print and online.

You can explore the full article here, which highlights how our design integrated the existing structure with sustainable interventions, natural light and a strong connection between architecture and landscape.

Last month, Konishi Gaffney received planning approval for a pair of off-grid, low carbon homes in Glenelg, a remote coastal community in the Scottish Highlands, with views stretching across to the Isle of Skye. Designed with a light touch on the landscape, the project sits on a peat bog and avoids the use of concrete or steel entirely.

The scheme includes a 250m² home alongside a smaller 125m² neighbour. Both properties will be constructed using timber frames, zinc roofs and suspended floors on stilts—an approach that eliminates concrete foundations and significantly reduces the carbon footprint.

This modern housing project reflects our studio’s ongoing commitment to sustainable architecture, low-impact construction, and sensitive residential design in rural Scotland.

The design was recently featured in the Architects’ Journal. You can read more about it here.

Last week, we welcomed students and tutors from the MEng Engineering and Architectural Design programme at the Bartlett School of Architecture to our Greyfriars Charteris Centre project in Edinburgh. The visit included a tour of the building and a talk from our team, offering insight into the design process and the challenges of working within a complex heritage context.

It was a pleasure to share our approach with such a thoughtful and engaged group of future architects and engineers. The Greyfriars Charteris Centre, a key example of our work in public and cultural architecture, provided a fitting backdrop for discussion around adaptive reuse, conservation and community-led design.

We’re pleased to share that Konishi Gaffney has been shortlisted, alongside four other practices, in the RIAS design competition for the redevelopment of Timespan, a cultural hub in Helmsdale in the Scottish Highlands.

The project calls for a major architectural revamp of the site, which plays a central role in the cultural and civic life of the local community. As Scottish architects with experience in cultural and community-led architecture, we’re honoured to be part of this exciting opportunity.

The Architects’ Journal has published an article announcing the shortlist, which you can read here. We look forward to revisiting the site and participating in the next stage of the competition.

Our recently completed Silecroft Beach Cafe has been featured in The Architects’ Journal, showcasing our studio’s design for this low-impact public building on the edge of the Lake District’s only beach.

Designed by Konishi Gaffney, the cafe is perched just above the shoreline and features an exposed timber roof structure and external shutters, offering a contemporary response to the rugged coastal context. The project forms part of a wider initiative to improve public access to the Cumbrian coastline through high-quality, sustainable architecture.

Photography by Richard Gaston accompanies the feature, which you can read here.

We’re delighted that our Liberton project has been shortlisted for a Small Projects Award by the Edinburgh Architectural Association (EAA). This recognition celebrates thoughtful, design-led architecture at a modest scale—a core part of our practice.

Congratulations to all the other shortlisted practices. The category showcases a diverse and inspiring range of architectural work in Edinburgh, reflecting the creativity and care shaping the city’s built environment this year.

We’ve launched a new website to better reflect the work, values and architectural approach of Konishi Gaffney. The redesign was led by Meraki Concept Studio, whose creative insight and strategic thinking helped us shape a more thoughtful and user-friendly digital presence.

We’re excited to welcome two new team members to Konishi Gaffney as we grow to take on larger, more ambitious projects across Scotland and beyond.

Mike joins us with over 15 years’ experience at design-led practices in Dublin. A first-class graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology, he has taught architecture at TU Dublin and is currently a studio tutor at the University of Edinburgh. Mike also served on the board of the Architectural Association of Ireland, including as President. His expertise brings real depth to our growing studio.

Eleanor (Els) recently completed her Master’s in Architecture with Distinction at Edinburgh University, following an undergraduate degree from The University of Bath. Her work explores low carbon materials, reuse and social sustainability, with experience in both domestic and healthcare architecture. She also received the Karla Roman Travel Bursary for her research on Japanese architecture–and knows a thing or two about great coffee, thanks to her time at Obadiah Coffee.

Work is progressing on site in the Braid Hills, where Konishi Gaffney is delivering a carefully detailed home extension for a private client. The new structure features exposed oak beams and a partially expressed ceiling, designed to frame long views of the garden and landscape beyond.

This project reflects our ongoing commitment to craft-led, residential architecture in Edinburgh—combining warm materials, natural light and thoughtful spatial planning.

Konishi Gaffney is working with local developer Mackenzie Residential on a scheme for nine modern homes in Trinity, a well-established neighbourhood in Edinburgh.

Our planning application is now submitted and has received strong local support. The project proposes energy-efficient housing on a brownfield site, with scale and massing designed to reflect the character of the surrounding area. Each home has been carefully planned to maximise space, natural light, and privacy, while avoiding overlooking.

The project began in June 2023, following a highly competitive selection process for a challenging corner site with multiple bids. We’re proud to have been selected for what we believe is the most thoughtful and well-resolved scheme—a result of a strong design approach and the support of enthusiastic, forward-thinking clients.

As part of our ongoing design research, we’ve been exploring AI-generated visualisation tools such as Midjourney. This striking image was created in seconds from a prompt describing “a timber-clad house on a Scottish island, poised atop the waves of a stormy sea.”

While conceptual, these tools offer intriguing possibilities for early-stage architectural exploration, storytelling, and mood-setting—helping us visualise ideas beyond traditional methods.

This small domestic extension in timber is advancing. Noteworthy features include high-grade carbon-negative wood-wool insulation and the abundance of natural light.

Konishi Gaffney has won an invited competition to design the redevelopment of the Queen’s Hall, a prominent Category A listed music venue in the heart of Edinburgh. Working in collaboration with conservation specialist Karen Nugent Architects, the project aims to enhance both the functionality and character of this much-loved public building.

The design includes a series of phased upgrades that will improve the hall’s accessibility, circulation and overall experience—all while ensuring it remains fully operational throughout construction. This project builds on our studio’s experience in cultural architecture, listed building adaptation, and delivering thoughtful, conservation-aware public projects in complex urban settings.

This sectional drawing reveals the architectural intricacies of our adaptation of the Greyfriars Charteris Centre—a former church in Edinburgh reimagined for contemporary community use. The design retains the building’s original volume and spatial drama, while introducing new insertions that support accessibility, natural light and public use.

This project exemplifies our approach to heritage building adaptations: thoughtful, layered interventions that respect historic fabric while enabling flexible, modern functionality.

The Venice Architecture Biennale offered our team an inspiring opportunity to engage with global architectural discourse, exploring the latest ideas in sustainability, urbanism, and the social impact of design.

As one of the most influential events in the architectural calendar, the Biennale brings together practitioners, thinkers, and curators from around the world. We returned energised by the diverse and experimental work on display—from conceptual installations to real-world strategies addressing climate, housing and cultural identity.

Windows are now being installed at Konishi Gaffney’s Silecroft Beach Café in Cumbria, marking a key stage in the construction process.

This coastal cafe, set within a striking landscape, is due for completion in early 2024 and reflects our commitment to sustainable, context-driven public architecture.

Konishi Gaffney is designing a nursery extension in Edinburgh focused on improving spaces for early years education. The project introduces colourful, playful elevations to enhance the character of a previously functional building, creating a more engaging environment for pre-school children.

The scheme is currently at planning stage, and reflects our ongoing commitment to thoughtful, design-led educational architecture that balances practicality with creativity.