Hospitalfield Arts

Arbroath, United Kingdom 2013 – present

Client: The Patrick Allan-Fraser of Hospitalfield Trust Category A Listed

Hospitalfield is an arts organisation in Arbroath, Scotland. The Category-A listed house is a complex amalgam of medieval buildings and mid-nineteenth century Scottish Baronial construction with early Arts & Crafts interiors. The house is set within a planned Victorian landscape and garden. Since 1900 it has been a place for artists and for arts education and has been run continuously as a charitable trust. The fabric of the building has been deteriorating and in 2015 Caruso St John drew up an ambitious master plan for the renovation of the historic buildings and for new architectural additions to enable the organisation to progress and realise its vision as a cultural resource for the twenty-first century.

Aerial view of the full estate with phase 1 completed

Site plan of existing situation

The interiors of the House with its collections of furniture, tapestries, sculpture and paintings were assembled by the artist owner and his wife up until 1890, and are remarkably well preserved, but they are also delicate. The domain of the House is therefore private, with the public able to visit the inside of the House on guided tours. Works to the house will start in a later phase of the project. The interiors will be refurbished, alongside repairs to the roof and the installation of a sustainable heating system.

South facade

Picture Gallery

Hallway

Drawing Room

Phase one of the masterplan was completed in 2021 and saw the reconstruction of the walled garden. A new design for the replanting of the garden was created by Nigel Dunnett. A central element of the garden is the Fernery, a small but tall building built by Patrick Allan-Fraser in the later 1800s to house his collection of ferns, gathered from around the world. Our design for the new glazed roof completes the fernery in line with our understanding of its previous form. Built against a high south-facing wall where once a greenhouse stood, is the new café. It is also constructed in standard horticultural glazing systems, like the fernery roof.

Model of fernery and café

Ground floor plan

Elevations

Phase Two of the plan was completed in 2024 and saw the renovation of the studio buildings on the north side of the site, behind the House. Sustainability is a particular focus of this phase, emphasising renovation, reuse and low-embodied-carbon materials. The 1901 painting studios and Patrick Allan Fraser’s original studio, have been reroofed, repaired and upgraded internally. A former gardeners’ shed was turned into a drawing room. In addition, further new studios have been built for artists working in new media. These spaces broaden the artistic possibilities at Hospitalfields.

The well-insulated new building is constructed in timber with a metal roof. The studio is a prototype of an architectural language that will be extended in the further buildings of the masterplan. The external walls are clad with thick timber shingles like feathers, treated with a silver stain. A lot of attention has been given to the details of how this lightweight structure rests against the stone walls that locate its position.

Model

Ground floor plan

Elevations

Visualisation

Renovated studio in the existing 1901 building

The new studios for new media

The refurbished Patrick Allan-Fraser studio

The gardeners' shed was turned into a drawing room

The last stages of the masterplan have now been designed and have been granted planning permission, but they await funding. A single storey accommodation building will provide 10 double bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms. Plans have been drawn up to refurbish the cottage, a small building providing more private accommodation. A new Collections building at the front of the site will provide storage and study space for Hospitalfield’s Collections, as well as a small gallery space for temporary exhibitions and an arrival space for Visitors. Major repair and restoration works will also be done to the House, and a sustainable heating system will be installed.

Masterplan with all phases included

Masterplan model with new buildings in red

Accommodation building model

Accommodation building plan

Accommodation building, view into the enclosed courtyard

Cottage model

Cottage ground floor plan

Collections and visitor centre model

Collections and visitors centre floor plan

Publication

Hospitalfield

antigaedizioni.it

A new publication about Hospitalfield is out now. Published by Fondazione Benetton Studi Ricerche on the occasion of the 34th Carlo Scarpa Prize for Gardens. The book tells the story of Hospitalfield, from its 13th century origins as a hospital to an art school founded by Patrick Allan Fraser, and to the current program of artist residencies and community programs.

Project: Hospitalfield Arts

Lecture

What’s next for our existing buildings?
RIBA and VitrA talks

Great Hall at Barts North Wing, St Bartholomew’s Hospital

12 May 2026

eventbrite.co.uk

Our director Ben Speltz will give a talk as part of this year's RIBA x Vitra Talks series. He will discuss the practice's approach to working with existing buildings, drawing on a range of projects such as: Hospitalfield Arts, a complex amalgam of medieval buildings in Scotland; Düngerbau, an old chemical factory converted into workspace; and Royal Belge, a sixties office building transformed into a mixed-use program of restaurant, hotel and gym.

Project: Düngerbau
Project: Royale Belge
Project: Hospitalfield Arts

Prize & ceremony

Carlo Scarpa Prize for Gardens
Hospitalfield

Treviso, Italy

9 May 2026

fbsr.it

Hospitalfield is awarded the 34th International Carlo Scarpa Prize for Gardens, 2025-2026, a prize awarded to a place with the capacity to transmit natural, historical and cultural values, devised and organised by the Fondazione Benetton Studi Ricerche. The prize is named in honour of Carlo Scarpa (1906-1978), the architect and creator of gardens. There will be a public ceremony in Treviso to celebrate the prize.

Project: Hospitalfield Arts

Award

RIAS Awards Shortlist
Hospitalfield Arts Studios

Phase 2 of our Masterplan for Hospitalfield Arts, the Studios, have been shortlisted for the RIAS Awards 2026 in Scotland. This phase focuses on the more private areas of the site, creating studios and workshops with excellent access. Centered on the Rear Yard, this phase includes the renovation of the 1901 studios, conservation of the 1845 Patrick Allan Fraser Studio, refurbishment of the Drawing School, and construction of a new studio building.

Project: Hospitalfield Arts

Planning permission

Collections and Study Centre
Hospitalfield

Arbroath, Scotland

hospitalfield.org.uk

Angus council has approved plans for a new Collections and Study Centre at Hospitalfield. The 255 m² building will provide gallery space and archival storage for Hospitalfield's permanent collection, as well as workspace for staff, and welcome facilities for visitors.

Project: Hospitalfield Arts

Exhibition

Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2022

London, United Kingdom

21 June — 21 August 2022

royalacademy.org.uk

Caruso St John have four drawings in this year’s Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy, curated by the artist Alison Wilding under the theme 'Climate'. The exhibition opens on the 21st June.

Project: Hospitalfield Arts

Project Review

Hospitalfield

6th May 2022

Director Rod Heyes and Project Architect Paula Schilliger present the practice’s masterplan for Hospitalfield House in Arbroath, Scotland, as part of the Architecture Foundation's series of talks exploring the typology of the artist's studio.

Project: Hospitalfield Arts

Interview

Studio International: Hospitalfield Arts

studiointernational.com

Peter St John was interviewed by Veronica Simpson about the practice's renovation work at Hospitalfield House in Arbroath. They discussed the recently completed Café and Fernery, alongside the future plans for the arts centre.

Project: Hospitalfield Arts

Opening

Hospitalfield

Arbroath, United Kingdom

27 May 2021

hospitalfield.org.uk

Caruso St John have completed renovation work on the fernery and glasshouse at Hospitalfield House in Arbroath, which opens to the public today. This is the first phase in the wider redevelopment of the Category A listed arts centre.

Project: Hospitalfield Arts