A 1930s seaside pavilion on the Aberdeenshire coast now has a green marble exterior. London-based Studio Octopi completed the art deco pavilion restoration of the Tarlair Outdoor Pool Pavilion near Macduff, and the building is back in use. The project is shortlisted for the 2026 RIAS Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award.
Dezeen has published a film by Jim Stephenson that shows the building. It is the latest in a series made with the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS) to cover the award’s shortlist. The winner will be announced on 26 November.
A 1930s pavilion, restored in phases
The Scottish Design Awards describes Tarlair as a triple pool structure with a paddling pool, a boating pool, a swimming pool and a tea-room pavilion. It was built between 1931 and 1934 and was one of the largest outdoor pools in Scotland when completed. The site holds Category A listing.
The pools closed in 1995, according to the Scottish Design Awards. Sea and weather kept damaging the structures, despite attempts at maintenance.
Keeping existing fabric rather than starting over also drives this UK project: Isle of Wight barn’s deep reuse retreat shows the same approach at a smaller scale.
Save Tarlair Group formed in 2012 after a public consultation meeting. In 2013, Aberdeenshire Council appointed John Addison of Addison Conservation and Design. His team restored the boating pool terraces, which made up Phase 1 of a three-phase conservation plan.
Phase 2: the art deco pavilion restoration
The Friends of Tarlair Community Group was established in 2014. It gained a 99-year lease on the pavilion in 2020. Studio Octopi was appointed in 2021 to carry out Phase 2, the pavilion restoration, in partnership with Heritage Architecture. The Architects’ Journal puts the cost of that phase at £1.2 million.
Reviving the Art Deco character
The art deco pavilion restoration set out to keep the building’s 1930s character. Studio Octopi director James Lowe said: “We wanted to pay homage to the art deco period with which the building was originally conceived in.” The work restored cream painted concrete, peppermint green metalwork, softwood flooring and replica interior panelling.
An unsympathetic 1970s extension was replaced with an addition inspired by art deco architecture. The green marble cladding reflects the gorse and granite of the site, according to the Scottish Design Awards. Lowe linked the colour to paint samples taken from the railings. He chose marble because it would make the building more resilient to the coastal environment.
Inside, a community workshop with gorse-flower coloured joinery sits beside the event space, café and toilets. The roof terrace has reopened. To meet regulations, a glazed balustrade was built alongside the reinstated period balustrading.
The pavilion was built for summer use and had no insulation. Cork boarding and lime plaster now line the walls. The Scottish Design Awards reports that wall U-values dropped from 1.98 W/m2K to 0.22 W/m2K.
The pools await their turn
The art deco pavilion restoration is complete, but the pools have not been restored. The site remains on the at-risk register. In 2025, Studio Octopi was appointed to the final phase, which covers the pools.
Sources differ on how the pools fill. The Scottish Design Awards describes them as pumped seawater pools.
A shortlist of three reuse projects
Tarlair is one of three reuse projects on the shortlist. The Edinburgh Futures Institute, designed by Bennetts Associates, repairs and remodels a Category A listed Victorian hospital. It adds a 450-seat auditorium for the University of Edinburgh.
Paisley Central Library, by Collective Architecture, brings a dilapidated historic building back into use for Renfrewshire Council. The judges praised its modern, confident yet quiet presence on its street.
Libraries are another historic UK building type being returned to everyday use, as seen in Sunlit King’s Lynn Library in Norfolk, which tells a similar civic renewal story.
RIAS president and judge Libby Heathcote said the shortlisted projects “tap into important, current conversations around community, collaboration, retrofit and reuse.” The award was established in 2002 and is named after Andy Doolan. Last year’s winner was a public park renewed by Stallan-Brand and LDA Design.
The art deco pavilion restoration at Tarlair shows what a neglected seaside building can become when a community refuses to let it go. The pools, still waiting for their turn, will test that persistence once more.
H/T dezeen.com
Frequently asked questions
Who restored the Tarlair art deco pavilion near Macduff?
London-based Studio Octopi completed the restoration of the Tarlair Outdoor Pool Pavilion. It carried out Phase 2 in partnership with Heritage Architecture.
Why was green marble used for the Tarlair pavilion’s exterior?
The green marble cladding reflects the gorse and granite of the site, according to the Scottish Design Awards. Studio Octopi director James Lowe chose marble because it makes the building more resilient to the coastal environment.
When were the Tarlair pools built and when did they close?
The Tarlair structures were built between 1931 and 1934 and were one of the largest outdoor pools in Scotland when completed. The pools closed in 1995, according to the Scottish Design Awards.
Have the Tarlair pools been restored along with the pavilion?
No, the pavilion restoration is complete but the pools have not been restored yet. Studio Octopi was appointed in 2025 to the final phase covering the pools, and the site remains on the at-risk register.
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