We are pleased to share that we have been shortlisted as one of six invited teams for the RIAS-organised competition for the Pier Arts Centre to design two new satellite venues in Orkney.

Six finalists have been named in the competition to develop proposals for a creative arts centre at the Stromness Post Office, directly opposite the Pier Arts Centre, and a residency centre at Linkshouse in Birsay.

The two sites sit within different conditions of Orkney. One within the tight harbour fabric of Stromness. The other within a more open landscape setting at Birsay. Both extend the cultural reach of the Pier Arts Centre across the island.

The aim of the competition is to develop cultural infrastructure that allows the Pier Arts Centre to broaden its cultural, social and economic role. New spaces are intended to support creative production, residency, and public engagement, while contributing to long-term sustainability and income generation for the gallery.

The proposals form part of a wider effort to grow the arts in Orkney and strengthen the relationship between cultural activity and everyday life across the islands.

The team includes structural engineers Narro Associates, mechanical engineers Rybka, and conservation architect Fiona Sinclair.

The Pier Arts Centre was established in 1979 to house an exceptional collection of British fine art donated by Margaret Gardiner (1904–2005), author, peace activist, and philanthropist. Gardiner assembled the collection over several decades, developing close relationships with many of the artists represented. Her vision was to create a permanent home for the work in a place where it could be experienced closely and without formality, leading to its eventual placement in Stromness, Orkney.

The collection includes works by Barbara Hepworth, Ben Nicholson and Alfred Wallis, alongside Sean Scully, Eva Rothschild and Olafur Eliasson. Works by Sylvia Wishart and Stanley Cursiter sit within an Orcadian context.

Described by Patrick Heron as “one of the most distinguished and perfect smaller collections of 20th-century art on permanent display anywhere in the world”, the Pier Arts Centre holds a distinctive position within Scottish cultural architecture, both locally rooted and internationally recognised.

We are now looking forward to the next stages of the process and to visiting Orkney and the Pier Arts Centre in person.