Nucleus

Scotland’s Best New Building

Nucleus houses the local archives of the county of Caithness, which dates back to 1589. It also contains the far more private archive of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) – the government body set up to manage the cleanup of the UK’s civil nuclear industry – including records, plans and photos from over 17 facilities across the country.

Reiach and Hall balanced the building’s two opposing functions in one large, triangular plan, placing a double-height, climatecontrolled concrete archive block at the site’s western edge and a more porous block of public and administrative spaces at the site’s other end.

This angular structure by Reiach and Hall Architects, one of Scotland’s most respected studios (based in Edinburgh) was named Scotland’s best new building by the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland. The building, which opened in 2017, was selected in November ahead of 11 other shortlisted designs to win the Andrew Doolan Award for 2018. It was praised for being “an impressive industrial building which contributes to its context in this remote and challenging location in the far north of Scotland”.

Map of Caithness,Scotland.

diversi ns Photos That Look Dirty But Actually Aren’t

The way she has positioned her arm, makes it look like something else.

It’s just a neck pillow!

No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver or purple.

Too much? Look again!

There’s really nothing quite so sweet as tiny little baby feet.

It’s just an armpit!