Scottish croft house conversion wins the second edition of RIBA's Reinvention Award

The second edition of RIBA’s Reinvention Award has been given to fardaa’s Croft 3 conversion project on the Scottish Isle of Mull. 

The firm’s entry was selected over five others in this year’s shortlist for the award, which is meant to recognize creativity and the best practices in the reuse and rehabilitation of buildings to make them more socially, environmentally, and economically sustainable.

The 2024 winners responded to a brief for a restaurant space that "retained the intimate and simple character of a croft building." Its place within a National Scenic Area added a significant degree of difficulty. The solution thus "illustrates how the character of historic buildings can be successfully integrated with contemporary design whilst benefiting local people and minimising carbon emissions," according to founder Edward Farleigh.

The 2024 Reinvention Award’s Jury Chair Biba Dow added their views, stating: "Croft 3 talks powerfully of the dramatic capacity for re-invention and re-activation at a small scale. Fardaa have brought to this project great skill and sensitivity, extending and transforming a ruin into a carefully detailed restaurant much-loved by its local community on the Isle of Mull."

The firm was founded by Farleigh in 2019 after his time at David Chipperfield Architects, Alison Brooks, and several other UK-based practices.