Contemporary Design and the Planning Department

A few months back, I was asked to design a garage conversion for a friend of a friend. It turned out the client was a partner in a local law firm who dealt with estates and property. He lived in a wealthy and relatively conservative suburb of Edinburgh, next door to a private school. The house had a free standing garage and the site was surrounded by trees, some of them quite mature and benefiting from preservation orders.

I like a challenge!

Despite my first impressions, the client turned out to have a very keen eye for contemporary design. 

The proposal we settled on involved putting a copper box on top of the garage and extending it to over-hang the front and the back. I liked it, I wasn't so sure the neighbours would however.The clients business partners were skeptical, some thought he was wasting his money but we lodged the Planning Application anyway.Six weeks later it came back; Planning Approved.