KERN

PracticeArchitecture office
BasedGlasgow, Scotland
Since2011 — 14 people
Status● Open for commissions
Axonometric massing model of a housing block
Position

Buildings should be built, not styled.

We make robust, honest and affordable buildings — housing, schools, workshops and public rooms. We use few materials, expose structure and services, and leave out everything that does not earn its place.

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Index

Full index →
No.ProjectTypePlaceYear
031Govan HousingHousingGlasgow2025
028Kelvin WorkshopIndustrialGlasgow2024
026Leith PrimaryEducationEdinburgh2023
022Bothy HallCommunitySkye2022

On site

Work in progress — updated monthly
034

Clyde Yards

120 homes, cross-laminated timber on a concrete podium.

Superstructure72%
036

Paisley Library

Refurbishment and extension of a 1970s library.

Technical design38%
037

Arran Studios

Six artist studios in rammed earth and corrugated steel.

Planning12%

Rules

  1. Fewer materials

    Three or four materials per building. Each used fully, honestly and where it performs best.

  2. Structure is the architecture

    We expose frames, slabs and services. What holds the building up is what you see.

  3. Built to be altered

    Generous floor heights and simple grids so the next generation can change what we built.