Practice History
Camerons Strachan Yuill Architects brings together the collective experience and creativity of three award winning practices; Camerons Architects, Bain Swan Architects and Douglas Strachan Architect. All three share a commitment to carefully considered architecture and personal service within the community. CSY Architects combines these to form an experienced and passionate team, with the capacity to deliver across a range of scales and sectors. This team owns the majority of the new practice through an Employee Ownership Trust and is led by two Managing Directors; Gavin Yuill and Douglas Strachan.
Camerons Architects
Camerons Architects was established in the Scottish Borders in 1963, opening the Edinburgh office in 1992. For nearly 60 years Camerons has worked on high quality domestic, residential, commercial and healthcare projects developing a responsive and broad skill set, retaining capacity to deliver for the community on all projects.
The practice has received numerous design awards and has a history of community contribution and innovation, beginning with Duncan Cameron’s involvement in forming the Eildon Housing Association. The practice is proud that this relationship working with EHA continues today.
More recently, Gavin Yuill set up the Yuill Community Trust to further innovate in the delivery of local affordable housing. Gavin is also currently involved with the development of modular housing system for building affordable housing and is also in the early stages of establishing a construction innovation hub at WIlderhaugh in collaboration with DYW Borders.
Gavin Yuill joined Camerons in 2013, became a Director in 2017 and Managing Director in 2019 before forming Camerons Strachan Yuill in 2020.
Douglas Strachan Architect
Douglas Strachan Architect was formed in Dalkieth in 2012 and the team quickly gained a reputation for high quality design and personal service in Edinburgh and Midlothian.
The practice has received architectural design awards and recognition for contemporary additions to existing homes, optimising each of these buildings for modern living. These projects have succeeded through a personal approach to the service, ensuring the client understands and enjoys both the process and the result. This approach is equally important to the practice’s community projects.
Douglas also contributes to the community as the founder and chairperson of One Dalkeith, a Community Development Trust, for which he was awarded ‘Business Ambassador of the Year’ by the Midlothian and East Lothian Chamber of Commerce.
Further to the formation of the Dalkeith practice in 2012 and its subsequent growth, Douglas Strachan brought this team together with the Camerons’ Edinburgh office in 2019, beginning the process of forming Camerons Strachan Yuill in 2020.
Bain Swan Architects
Bain Swan Architects has delivered a wide range of projects in the South East of Scotland and North East of England for over thirty years.
The practice has a long-established reputation for conservation and place making, based on a rich understanding of the communities and heritage of the area.
This combination of expertise and understanding has enabled the practice to provide a personal service and carefully considered designs, for which it has received numerous awards.
In 2019 following the retirement of Barbara and Allan Swan the remaining staff at Bain Swan Architects joined the Camerons group and it now operates as the Berwick office of Camerons Strachan Yuill Architects.
