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Cole & Partners - Discover innovative designs at Cole and Partners. Award winning Architectural design office with wide range of international projects.

Specializing in bespoke, sustainable designs to a wide range of individuals, organisations and companies. Contact us to today and let us help turn your dream project into a reality...

01/09/2026

Listed Building Consent granted in Edinburgh

We're pleased to have recently secured Listed Building Consent for a project in Edinburgh involving the creation of a new doorway to a garden flat.

It's a relatively small alteration, but working with listed buildings often means that even seemingly simple changes need careful consideration.

We've also recently worked on replacement window proposals for listed properties, so we're building up a growing portfolio of projects involving the sensitive adaptation of historic buildings.

For homeowners, knowing what consent is required — and how to develop a proposal that respects the character of the building while still meeting your needs — can sometimes feel daunting.

That's where we can help.

At Cole & Partners, we can assist with design, listed building consent applications and the wider planning process, helping you understand what may be possible before you commit to your project.

If you're considering changing windows, doors, extensions, internal layouts or other aspects of a listed property in Edinburgh or elsewhere in Scotland, we'd be happy to have an initial conversation.

Get in touch to discuss your project.

28/08/2026

Buildings that store carbon, not create it. 🌲

At Cole and Partners, our starting point for any project isn't just how a building looks—it's what it’s made of and how it sits within the landscape.

By defaulting to homegrown Scottish CLT and timber framing, our designs focus on a fabric-first approach:
✔️ Carbon Storage: Utilizing timber to lock in carbon for the building's lifespan.
✔️ Passive Performance: Prioritizing insulation, natural light, and thermal mass before switching on heating systems.
✔️ Locally Sourced Materials: From regional stone to low-carbon hempcrete and Douglas fir.

Whether it’s a quiet island retreat, an urban retrofit, or a sensitive infill plot, sustainable design doesn't mean compromising on aesthetics—it means building for the future.

Thinking about starting a project this autumn? Explore our online tools to calculate your project's carbon footprint or estimate planning requirements.

🔗 Visit https://www.coleandpartners.org/tools to learn more or book a site walk with our team.

26/08/2026

The most sustainable building is often the one that’s already there.

Before breaking ground on new foundations, we always ask: What is already here, and how can we honour it?

Upgrading historic or existing buildings to modern energy standards presents unique challenges—from weatherproofing against Atlantic gales to insulating 150-year-old stone walls without trapping moisture.

Our approach to sensitive modernization:
1️⃣ Fabric-First Heating: Reducing heating demand by up to 40% before choosing a heating system.
2️⃣ Natural, Breathable Materials: Using breathable natural insulation (like hempcrete and wood fiber) to protect historic stonework.
3️⃣ Integrated Ecology: Building biodiversity directly into the design—from green living roofs to swift bricks.

Have an existing building, a site, or an idea? We’d love to walk the site with you.

📩 Get in touch via our website https://www.coleandpartners.org/ or call the studio to arrange an informal site visit.

21/08/2026

Passivhaus and the future of Scottish building standards 🏠

With the Scottish Government consulting on proposed changes to building standards, Scotland is moving closer to an approach that shares many of the principles of Passivhaus design.

But what exactly is Passivhaus — and why does it matter?

We’ve created a Passivhaus information page on our website to explain the key ideas behind the approach, including:

🌱 Fabric-first design
🌡️ Excellent thermal performance
💨 Airtightness
🪟 High-performance windows
🌉 Minimising thermal bridges
♻️ Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery

The result is a building that can be highly energy efficient while also being warm, comfortable and healthy to live or work in.

Whether you’re a homeowner, designer, developer or simply interested in where Scottish building standards are heading, our pages are a useful introduction to the principles behind Passivhaus — and why they’re becoming increasingly relevant in Scotland.

👉 Find out more: https://www.coleandpartners.org/passivhaus-design-scotland

20/08/2026

One of the first questions we get asked is "Do we need planning?" The answer is often not always clear and you can do quite a lot within the rules of permitted development. As a quick guide we have created this online tool which can give you a some initial advice...https://coleandpartners.lovable.app/tools/planning

17/07/2026

Project Spotlight | Fife New Build

Designed for a compact site where every square metre mattered, this beautifully crafted three-bedroom family home demonstrates how intelligent architectural design can maximise both space and comfort.

By incorporating innovative space-saving solutions and a fabric-first approach to insulation, the home delivers exceptional energy performance while creating light-filled, functional living spaces for modern family life.

Elegantly clad in locally sourced larch, the project reflects our commitment to thoughtful, sustainable design and the careful selection of materials that enhance both aesthetics and longevity.

This project is a great example of how considered planning and sustainable principles can transform even the most challenging sites into inspiring and efficient homes.

08/07/2026

NEW: Free online tool to help calculate build costs and give you a clearer picture of your project budget from the start.

The biggest cause of stress in a build isn’t always the building work…
…it’s not knowing what it’s going to cost.

Unexpected expenses and unclear budgets can quickly turn an exciting project into a stressful experience. That’s why we created our free online cost tool. By bringing more transparency to the early stages of a project, clients can make informed decisions, understand where their investment is going, and move forward with greater confidence.

Because a better building experience starts with better information.

See comments for the link!

03/07/2026

Project Spotlight | House for a Garden Designer

Every site presents its own opportunities and constraints, and this project was no exception.

Designed for a professional garden designer and artist, this new home demonstrates how thoughtful design can maximise both the building and the landscape. By adopting a 1½-storey form, we were able to make the most of the available footprint while creating generous, light-filled living spaces that open directly onto the surrounding garden.

From the outset, the project embraced fabric-first principles, prioritising a highly insulated building envelope, excellent airtightness and carefully considered detailing to reduce energy demand and create a comfortable home throughout the year. A timber-first approach further reduced the building's embodied carbon while providing a warm, natural palette of materials that complements its rural setting.

The result is a home where architecture and landscape work together seamlessly, allowing the garden to become a natural extension of the living spaces and demonstrating that sustainable design can be both practical and beautiful.

At Cole & Partners, we believe the best homes begin with a deep understanding of the site, the client and how they want to live.

30/06/2026

Why More Homes in Scotland Are Choosing Green Roofs

We're seeing increasing interest from homeowners looking to create more sustainable, environmentally responsible homes. One feature that's becoming increasingly popular is the green roof.

Far more than an architectural statement, a well-designed green roof can:
- Improve biodiversity by creating valuable habitats for wildlife.
- Help manage rainwater and reduce surface water runoff.
- Protect the roof membrane and improve longevity.
- Enhance the visual connection between a building and its landscape.
- Create a striking contemporary finish that complements both new homes and extensions.

We've put together a practical guide explaining the different types of green roof, their benefits, typical costs and what to consider if you're thinking about incorporating one into your project.

👉 Read our guide:https://www.coleandpartners.org/greenroofs

28/06/2026

New Carbon Calculator Now Live

We've launched a new Embodied Carbon Calculator on our website, making it quick and easy to estimate the embodied carbon of new builds, extensions and refurbishment projects.

Whether you're an architect, engineer, contractor or future client, the tool provides an early-stage carbon estimate to help support more informed, sustainable design decisions.

Try it today and let us know what you think!

https://www.coleandpartners.org/tools

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