Designing viable masterplans without compromise
“With land values high and the demand for housing urgent, the need remains to build densely, and through a well-considered design approach we believe that high density schemes can be hugely successful”.
The future of Masterplanning in Scotland is undergoing a transformative shift, one that puts people, place and sustainability at its core. Instead of a one-size fits all solution, developments are being shaped by local needs and priorities, fostering more resilient communities and places that truly belong to those who live there. The housing market is increasingly defined by rising land values, tightening regulations, and growing demand for quality homes, meaning developers are rightly focused on viability. But there’s a persistent myth in the industry that good design comes at the cost of profitability. At Studio LBA, we challenge that thinking.
Our approach to masterplanning is founded on the belief that places designed with ambition, through collaboration and driven by context not only deliver better homes but also stronger returns. We lead with design, but always within the commercial, planning, and community frameworks that our clients operate in. For us, masterplanning starts with the story of the place. We undertake deep analytical studies of each site investigating local history, building typologies, landscape character, and social patterns to inform a design that feels rooted and familiar to the heritage of that location and its community.
This has been evident in our work at St Andrews West where a detailed contextual analysis led to a mix of terraces, flatted units and fisher-style cottages. These were interwoven with green corridors and sustainable transport routes, creating a place that’s aspirational, connected, and characterful. What sets our masterplanning apart is not only the attention to buildings but to the spaces between them. Our schemes are always landscape-led, with a commitment to enhancing health, well-being, and biodiversity. This belief is so central to our approach that we now offer landscape design in-house, ensuring it’s embedded from the very start.
Too often in Scotland, we see housing developments imposed on sites with little regard for their surroundings. Typically, they have generic layouts and repeated house types with landscapes treated as an afterthought. We believe this is a missed opportunity and therefore advocate for schemes that engage with culture, climate, and community. Our designs are heritage-informed but forward-facing, bringing together the authenticity of local materials and typologies with the performance standards and placemaking needs of the future. This includes maximising energy efficiency. Something as fundamental as building orientation and form can dramatically improve performance and reduce costs, and yet it’s often overlooked.
With land values high and the demand for housing urgent, the need remains to build densely, and through a well-considered design approach we believe that high density schemes can be hugely successful.
Rather than treat density as a constraint, we see it as an opportunity to create vibrant, diverse, and sociable places. With the right housing typologies, we can deliver privacy, access to outdoor space, and community infrastructure in equal measure. Pedestrian flow is critical in this, and we think deeply about how people move, interact, and gather, from shared streets and green corridors to the placement of front doors and garden walls. These small decisions can enable chance encounters that strengthen communities. We know that for developers, any design-led approach must be commercially viable, especially in challenging markets, which is why our process is highly collaborative. We take time to understand our clients’ business models and ambitions, and we apply a value-engineering mindset from the outset. This allows us to unlock more developable area, optimise density, and still deliver beautifully considered homes that achieve benchmark sales values. In today’s market, that kind of holistic thinking is essential.
Scotland is at a turning point in how we plan and build future communities. As planning policy, sustainability standards, and market pressures converge, we believe the answer lies in high-quality, context-sensitive design that enhances place, delivers value, and endures.
Lynsay Bell Manson is Managing Director at Studio LBA
