The next generation of architects are on track to help revitalise a former north-east railway line and popular walking spot.
Students at the Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen have designed a number of structures to be located along the picturesque Deeside Way.
The second-year undergraduates were tasked with designing different “way finders” to be used along a two-mile stretch of the route, between Pitfodels and Duthie Park.
The various designs are a mix of installations and more functional markers which the university hopes will breathe new life into the popular walking and cycling route.
Academic Quazi Zaman, who has been leading the project with his colleague Silvia Bassanese, said: “The Deeside Way is more than a disused railway, it is a memory line of the past that still residents find its value by connecting various parts of Aberdeen.
“Through design studio exercise, we expect students to address the Deeside as a potential connector for east and west and connecting parts and parcel of neighbourhood that are disconnected by the railway line.”
His colleague added: “I am deeply impressed by the visual quality of the students’ exhibition. It was a very challenging task, because of many different research strands.
“Being able to produce a critical mass of work within a very limited time and distil the most communicative materials for display requires maturity, competence, professionalism and at the same time pragmatism. I think that they should all be very proud of the results achieved.”
One of the groups, known as Garthdee, includes students Andrew MacRae, Aimee Florence Jackson, Ewen Calder and Rebecca Hawley.
In a joint statement, the group said: “While conducting our research and on visits to the site, it was clear that there was a considerable divide between the east and west.
“We really wanted to try and break down as many of the physical and metaphorical barriers between the two areas in a bid to connect the communities on either side.
“Although all the groups were working to the same brief, all of the designs are quite different, although you can see the link between them as you travel down the line.”
