Mary Arnold-Forster Architects

Mary Arnold-Forster Architects (MAFA) is a Highland architecture studio working across rural locations throughout Scotland and the UK. It was formed by Mary in 2016 to create quiet, humane, restrained and beautifully crafted places and spaces based on a rigorous study of site, context, landscape and brief to try to create a backdrop for people’s work, their art and lives. MAFA's work spans from the Lake District in the south to Orkney in the North. Our design process is circular: it starts with a site visit and topographical survey, then many hand sketches on tracing paper which lead to physical and 3D digital models. We build physical models to really test the proposals in the context. We then assess what we have proposed and improve it, starting back with tracing sketches. Further site visits, client consultations and design team input drive further refinement of this iterative process. This design process leads to a balance between traditional forms and materials with crisp contemporary details. MAFA were presented the Royal Institute of Architects Scotland (RIAS) new house award for their Black Shed at Heaste on Skye and have been short-listeded for a further RIAS award for their pre-fabricated house, An Cala at Nedd in Assynt and a RIBA Northwest Award for their Brampton project. During Mary’s 16 years at Dualchas Architects on Skye, she was responsible for multiple award winning projects.