When architects like Archibald Simpson and John Smith fashioned the buildings of Aberdeen more than 200 years ago they were not only creating beautiful spaces for their generation but for dozens more to come.
The impressive granite structures which line our main streets and act as a symbol of our city are timeless not just in style but in purpose.
What was once used as a grand townhouse for the rich and powerful was later converted into bars, restaurants and office spaces. But as times begin to change again these buildings could slowly return to the hands of families looking to return to city-centre living.
One thing is for sure, they will continue to remain a part of our heritage for hundreds of years to come as the beauty of the buildings was designed to be preserved.
That is one of the biggest challenges facing the architects of today.
As Aberdeen City Council embarks upon rolling out its 25 year masterplan I sat down to lunch with three key players involved in what the skyline of Aberdeen will look like in 100 years’ time and how the transformation will hopefully attract business and investment for years to come.
I was joined by Catherine McKeown, former president of Aberdeen Society of Architects, David McClean, head of Scott Sutherland School of Architecture and councillor Marie Boulton who is leading the city centre masterplan.
And what better place to discuss the architecture of Aberdeen than at the Albyn on one of the city’s most impressive granite lined streets.
Ms McKeown said: “There is something about architecture of its time, which is that it’s of its time. A nice building doesn’t need to be mock traditional but with that said, it really does have to be quality and what is so special about the heritage, if you look at Marischal College, you can see it’s a stunning piece of architecture but of its time.
“I think if you step forward 100 years from today at people sitting round a table and looking at what we have created, we need to create something that people are going to want to preserve then. That’s why it’s really important to emphasise quality.”
Councillor Boulton agreed that the future of architecture rested in good quality buildings and said as a result people should not expect to see the city change instantly.
She said: “Obviously what we are trying to do through the masterplan is look at what is missing from the city rather than saying ‘we are going to give you this ‘.
“We went through a really comprehensive exercise where we said, right, what do you the public think is missing from the city? What would inspire you to make you want to stay here and work here? So we built up a raft of projects and interventions that can be done by the public centre and the private sector.
“It was about engagement with everybody. From that we got 49 projects which were from transport to buildings to culture to events. It was a whole wide scope of things because we didn’t think there was one silver bullet to changing Aberdeen. What we also recognised is that there is a lot of good stuff in Aberdeen just about filling in the gaps to make it brilliant and not just great.”
Councillor Boulton said that festivals such as Spectra and Nu Art have also been a hugely successful way of showing the city and those further afield that we are shifting from a once industrial, oil focused city to one that appreciates the arts.
She added: “Obviously certain things have already started. Events 365, you have talked about creativity and culture, that’s about getting the cultural industry to own the cultural portfolio like Spectra, we’ve also got Granite Noir which is into its second year. So it’s about looking at the little things and selecting key festivals throughout the year.
“We have to create that environment that allows them to flourish and so that creative people think Aberdeen wants them here. If you look at the Spectra festival the amount of artists that actually launched things there, I spoke to quite a few of them and they said Aberdeen was getting the reputation that Aberdeen was willing to take something different and something new and was willing to experiment.
“It is now starting to be seen as an experimental city rather than an oil industrial place. It’s about changing perceptions and we have to do that together it’s not just down to the council.”
Mr McClean added: “There are many things that are going on that maybe people don’t assume are part of a master plan, and whilst as an architect I will always say architecture is important, fundamentally a masterplan is about injecting life back into the city centre and making it a 21st century environment.
“There is a lot of sense in a lot of these public engagement activities to enrich the cultural environment because you start to see a difference very quickly. But when it comes to the physical creation of buildings, that part of it has a longer timeline and there could be the perception that nothing is being done.
“I think it is important that people start to see something happening in the process because this has got quarter of a century timeline to it, and necessarily so because cities need time to evolve.
“Having said that, I know there is some discussion within the city council at the moment within the masterplan and the consultancy team about what would an intervention be, major economic or cultural stimulus to drive some transformation to the community and the thinking around that is really beginning to happen now, because architecture plays a role within the masterplan as well as issues around urban design.”
Lastly councillor Boulton reinforced that it was not just the council’s responsibly to shape the future of the Granite City, but that of everyone who lives and works there.
She said: “The council has had a habit of saying ‘this is what we do’, but we are not the experts. We now want to empower the experts to see what they can bring to the table to support us.
“There has been quite a shift in the officer’s mind sets. But it is about feeling like we don’t have to do everything. It’s about making sure that we all own the masterplan. At the moment the union terrace gardens plans are in and will come to full council for determination and we have Broad Street where we have partially pedestrianised that’s a key theme of the plan.
“How can we make it accessible but make spaces that are non-accessible other than to pedestrians, for instance to cyclists. It’s about having appropriate spaces and it’s about understanding the nature of transport in the city, maybe the lack of public transport. It’s about capturing people’s imagination.”
