Not just in terms of design output, but in how practices operate, who they serve, and what they value.
Can a practice be both regional and scalable?
Can we honour local identity while working collaboratively across towns and borders?
Can architects lead with values, not egos?
These are questions we’ve been asking about the future of architecture and living over the past five years at CSY Architects.
In 2024, Kirkcaldy-based DBP Architects joined employee-owned CSY Architects, signaling a new chapter in the development of architectural practices and marking the fourth geographical base for CSY.
This came five years after CSY itself was formed through the merger of three other long-established firms in Dalkeith, Galashiels, and Berwick. Each had deep roots in its region, trusted reputations, and a strong sense of place.
And when the time came for the founding directors of those firms to step back, the question was the same:
How do you evolve, without losing what you’re trusted for?
“There were other routes we could have taken, selling the business, winding it down – but this offered a way to keep what mattered most alive and growing.”
Stewart Davidson, DBP Architects
Rather than being absorbed into a larger commercial entity, these practices joined together, not to centralise, but to collaborate. We’re now a team of over 30 people, across four towns, in two countries, designing everything from conservation projects to pubs, schools to bespoke homes.
But more importantly, we’ve been developing a different kind of model – one that values people, and the places they’re part of.
Local and Trusted Architecture
Each of CSY’s four bases – now in Dalkeith, Galashiels, Berwick, and Kirkcaldy – was once a stand-alone firm with its own deep connection to place. Camerons Architects, founded in 1963, had a long-standing presence in the Scottish Borders. Bain-Swan brought 40 years of experience in Northumberland. Douglas Strachan Architect was a younger practice, but already well-rooted in the Lothians. And DBP, formerly Davidson Baxter Partnership, brought four decades of work in housing, bespoke homes, hospitality, and interiors across the UK, with a strong base in Fife.
By joining together, we can operate across regions while still thinking and acting locally, while each location retains its character and legacy. We’re based in towns, not cities. We’ve built a model that’s collaborative rather than top-down, and one that values shared ownership and a people-first approach, which is an unusual structure for an architectural practice.
“We’re creating something that’s greater than the sum of its parts, by bringing together people who care about the communities they serve.”
Gavin Yuill, Managing Director
The result was CSY Architects, built around two core ideas:
- A practice that’s rooted in people & places, and
- A structure that values its people through employee ownership
Uniqueness, Efficiency and Scalability for the Future
Each of the four bases carries forward a unique heritage, connection and specialisms.. However, systems needed to be aligned for the combined business to function and scale.
Through employee ownership, our people have a stake in the practice’s success. It’s not just about equity, it’s about shared responsibility, pride, and investment in the work.
Thanks to a two-year Knowledge Transfer Partnership with Edinburgh Napier University, CSY has harmonised its use of Building Information Management (BIM) and internal processes, allowing for efficient collaboration across sites. This work has helped align the team without erasing what makes each location distinct.
And as we welcome DBP into the fold, with its own strengths in housing, interiors and hospitality, we’re continuing to diversify, not just in location, but in specialisms and service.
So, What Does That Mean For The Future of Architecture?
The story of CSY might offer one potential answer to that question.
What we’re doing may be unusual, but we think that’s part of what makes it relevant.
In an industry often driven by image and ego, we believe architecture can (and should) be led by values.
We care deeply about:
• People: in our teams and our communities
• Place: honouring history, context, and landscape
• Collaboration: across disciplines, locations, and experiences
• Sustainability: in methods, materials, and relationships
We design spaces that serve real people and respond to their specific contexts, whether it’s a town hall refurbishment in the Borders or a new family home in Fife. We don’t chase headline projects, we build trust.
“We love bringing together everyone’s unique skills and specialities — conservation, community, sustainability — and creating something great where they overlap.”
Douglas Strachan, Managing Director
Leading with values sets us apart from firms that lead with glossy images or named designers. It also allows us to respond more flexibly to local needs and to serve a broader range of sectors, from homes and heritage to hospitality and public projects.
The Future of Architecture
We know the landscape is changing.
Smaller firms are grappling with succession. Communities are asking for more inclusive and sustainable design. Practices are looking for ways to grow without losing their heritage.
We don’t claim to have all the answers, but we do have a model that’s working.
A model that’s,
- Collaborative
- Values-led
- Rooted in people and places
That might just be what the future looks like – to us anyway.
