Packaging ScottishLaird’s Most Prestigious Decorative Title

Graphic and product design has always been a passion of mine, particularly in relation to restoring Dunans (of course!). Our new red boxes are spectacularly lovely, and I just wanted to share the design (and the rest of the package) which includes a square foot of the castle itself. If we can sell every square foot of the castle, we will be able to restore the building fully. So that’s the target for the next 12 months or so.

Archive for Lairds and Ladies: Surveys, Plans, Drawings and Notes are all available for members of the Lairds’ and Ladies’ site

Much of the work that has been undertaken this year by our professional team has been funded by all the titles and merchandise that have been purchased through the Scottish Laird project. The archive we are publishing on the Lairds’ and Ladies’ site is a detailed record of the outputs of that work. There are drawings for works on the bridge, preparatory sketches of the plans for the castle, fly-bys from laser surveys (like the image above) and much else besides.

A preview of the present list is shown below and is available to members of the site here.

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Defining the size of the task: New internal elevations of Dunans Castle

AOC’s laser survey has output some very interesting internal elevations of the castle. These will be used to begin the design work on the building over the next few months.

The featured image above is the preliminary specification for the clearance work which will have to be completed before detailed drawings are attempted.

We’re presently obtaining costs on this work, and will report back shortly on the revised programme.

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This plan of the castle shows where the sections have been taken. The ends are squared off in the direction we’re looking at.

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Elevation 1: View Northwest from behind the front facade, notice the main turret on the left. Elevation 2: View Northeast through the main apartment towards the old house showing the level of the detritus remaining to be cleared

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These multiple elevations, 3, 3A and 3B show the sort of detail we will need to specify the works. Also interesting here is the cross section of the main turret, on the right.

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This fourth elevation shows the remains of the wall behind the facade, looking South-east, much of which is visible from the front door of the castle

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The full preliminary specification for clearance

Adorning one’s one square foot: delightful model castle with draw-bridge and two turrets

We have had lots of great moments with Lairds and Ladies when they come to visit their plot of land. Often they will want to leave a marker, or tribute, or ‘development’: we’ve had the flags of most nationalities, we’ve had farmyard animals, we’ve even had a red Monopoly hotel – but today we had one of the most creative …

IMG_2232 IMG_2234If you are a Laird or Lady and want to take the tour and visit your plot of land, please click here for more details!

 

Castle imaged in extraordinary detail: First image from 3D laser scanner by AOC!

Dunans_0008_smlAOC have just posted a picture of their survey online: here it is and this is what they say about their work:

To fully understand the building and aid the restoration process, AOC was commissioned to undertake a detailed measured survey of the building comprising elevation drawings and floor plans (as much as these could be gained from the present access). By using a 3D laser scanner to complete the work, AOC’s team were able to complete the survey in a single day. 33 scans were completed in total with a final sampled pointcloud of 75 million points, creating a wonderful 3D image of the castle’s exterior. The problems with access to the interior were also partially overcome as the laser managed to shoot through the roofless entrance lobby and upper level windows to identify the basic floor plan; even internal features such as second floor fireplaces were identified, now hanging in mid-air after the collapse of the floor beams within. The survey was accompanied by over 900 high-resolution digital photographs of the external features of the castle to aid the survey and create a detailed record for use during the restoration programme.

To learn more about AOC please visit them here.

Puffballs, Bats and Statements of Requirement: Building Momentum at Dunans this August

IMG_1697While the last couple of weeks have included a well-earned break, we have also been working hard on the next stage of the Dunans project. In fact, if truth be told, the whole thing is rather taking off!!

The image shows what look like puffball mushrooms on the main lawn at Dunans, but are in fact essential placemarkers for the laser survey AOC carried out on Thursday. The results of which we’ll post as soon as possible.

The same day, well, evening we had the first of our ecological surveys, with 6 bat spotters onsite until 11 pm, recording all the bats that spin about our belfry!

And this Friday, myself, Robin (our architect) and Sadie went through statement of requirements for castle and ScottishLaird office. These are essential pre-requisites before the designing of space begins – a design which will use the laser survey as its basis.

We have lectern! New signage at the castle for the multitudes of Lairds and Ladies this summer!

castle-sign-lecternThe first of our new signs is now in place. Its a kind of lectern made out of treated softwood, so its neither too heavy to shift, or too light to run away with. We also wanted something we could swap signs in and out of as the project progressed. I think Mike has done us proud realising the design.

Later this week we’ll post photos of the new Bridge sign.

Here’s the original design post btw.

The Joy of Tours at Dunans on the #MayDay #BankHoliday

Both Colin and myself took tours today. I chose the easier option and took Scot AnSgeulaiche’s Jamie and Claire Tour based on the Outlander series of books by Diana Gabaldon. What a lovely bunch of folks from Canada and the US (pictured above taking photos of the newly annointed Lady Sue on her square foot). We did the full circuit including looking through the trees, over the ravine, at the C-listed Fletcher Mausoleum.

Colin on the other hand, was tasked with showing a 32-man tour around – they all definitely had a ball – and there are a bunch of photos on Facebook taken by Jean Donaldson, our fab in-house photographer. The shot below, just shows how many folks that is. A really good day at Dunans!

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#ISBN 978-1-910326 is the prefix for #DunansCastle Ltd. publishing

Within the next couple of months we will be publishing the Alloway Rap (ISBN 978-1-910326-00-8), and also a whole raft of Dunans Castle consultation documents in hardback, softback, pdf and ibook format. All of these will use the abovenoted prefix.

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