We are very pleased to share news of an award made to Cove Park from the Scottish Government’s Community Climate Asset Fund. The award of £34,720 will support the extensive refurbishment of the Oak and Taransay Pods, our  two largest accommodatiuon units, allowing us to ensure this essential work will contribute to our commitment to reducing our carbon emissions.

The Oak and Taransay Pods were designed by the Glasgow-based architect Andy McAvoy in 1999 and first constructed on the island of Taransay in the same year to house participants in the BBC programme Castaway. The Pods were relocated to Cove Park in 2001 and upgraded for use as accommodation for resident artists. This spirit of recycling applied to all the accommodation units being sourced for Cove Park during the first years of the residency programme, notably our Cubes – shipping containers repurposed as individual accommodation units and studios.

The Pods are timber-framed units with expansive areas of glass, making the most of the wonderful views across Loch Long to the Cowal peninsula. Over the past twenty years the two Pods have accommodated hundreds of artists, and their generous communal spaces have proven ideal for both individual and collaborative work. Although they have been consistently maintained since 2001, they now require more extensive refurbishment. This award offers the perfect opportunity to improve their efficiency via a series of upgrades that will ensure these idiosyncratic, much-loved buildings are ready for the future.

For further information on this project and our Pods please contact Vanessa Paynton.

Image: Cove Park’s Oak and Taransay Pods (photography, Ruth Clark)