This new chapter in the practice’s ever-expanding record of inventive and sensitive reuse and regeneration sees a dated 1970s blockwork building reborn as a thriving, user-led hub for the East Ayrshire arts scene, providing an operational base for the Take A Bow team as well as other community organisations.

When Take A Bow Development Trust took ownership of the building in 2019, it was not fit for purpose; tarnished by rising damp, asbestos, and water ingress from the roof, suffering poor insulation and inefficient heating resulting in exorbitant energy bills. As a performing arts facility, it lacked a viable changing space close to the stage, and in addition, the aging grey concrete and render of the exterior were visually unappealing and unconnected to its setting beside a recently regenerated residential estate and adjacent to an attractive park.

Selected for their proven expertise in inventive repair and regeneration, O’DonnellBrown have led the building transformation since 2021. Beginning with a feasibility study, the final scheme has been shaped by a community consultation engagement programme, both in person and on social media, to tailor the centre precisely to the needs of its community, optimising the space while preserving as much of the building fabric and embodied carbon to reach a sustainable and cost-effective solution.

The building’s reinvention is announced with a new timber colonnade which encloses the new changing room area, leading to the main performance space. The glulam colonnade is an evolution of one of the practice’s early experimental projects, The Community Classroom. It creates an extended canopy over the entrance, elevating the sense of arrival to the centre. With the carpark relocated to the rear of the building, the colonnade opens onto a new spacious forecourt between the frontage and the park, creating a flexible space for outdoor programming, including the popular annual summer festival Take A Bow in the Park.

Externally a new skin of wall insulation finished in render improves the thermal performance of the building while visually transforming the dated concrete exterior, giving the centre an attractive contemporary aesthetic and creating a canvas to integrate Take A Bow’s branding colours, graphics and signage to announce the centre’s new host.

Inside, the plan has been reconfigured on the ground floor to improve the sequence of spaces from entrance through to the bar and the performance hall. Performers can now change in the new studio space, the McManus Suite, named after John McManus, Chair of Take A Bow Development Trust, who led the redevelopment project.

A new window to the bar area strengthens the visual connectivity between the centre and the park and a new reception desk and bar counter in plywood panelling, decorated with the Take A Bow brand colours, aims to capture the joyful welcoming nature of Take A Bow’s ethos within the space itself.

In the main hall bleacher seating enables the space to be used flexibly as a multipurpose community room. Additional meeting and workshop space allows Take A Bow to extend its offer to the community beyond the performing arts and into youth-development, holiday clubs, intergenerational programming and community lunches.

Michael Dougall, director, O’DonnellBrown, said: “This project is a powerful example of what can be achieved through community-led regeneration – driven by local ambition, creativity, and care. Working alongside a passionate client team, we’ve reimagined a 1970s building through an energy-focused retrofit that prioritises sustainability, comfort, and long-term value. The revitalised centre is now a welcoming, low-energy space that supports a wide range of social, cultural and educational activities.

“It stands as a beacon of what meaningful investment in existing infrastructure can deliver – not only in terms of environmental performance but also in empowering the communities they serve. We hope this project inspires similar approaches to regeneration across Scotland and beyond, proving that with the right vision and collaboration, our existing buildings can be adapted to meet the evolving needs of today and tomorrow.”

In keeping with Take A Bow’s net-zero ambitions, O’DonnellBrown collaborated with energy consultant Carbon Futures to develop an energy strategy that would significantly minimise the whole-life carbon impact of the building, optimise energy efficiency and reduce operational costs. The scheme accounts for the limitations of the 50 -year-old building and a constrained project budget.

The combination of wall, roof and floor insulation, together with the installation of air source heat pumps and LED lighting, has meant that the final specification aligns with UKGBC framework recommendations, and reduces the centre’s energy consumption from 265kWh/m2 to 82kWh/m2, representing a 70% reduction in energy consumption and carbon emissions.

The opening of the centre represents a new chapter for Take A Bow, a dynamic new resource for the New Farm Loch community, and a consolidation of O’DonnellBrown’s expertise in architectural reuse and reinvention. In the 12 years since it was established, the practice has built a portfolio of transformations, turning vacant or unloved buildings, brownfield sites and derelict land into viable, modern schemes and spaces that serve and enhance the communities around them. The Take A Bow Opportunities Centre is set to do precisely that.

John McManus, chair, Take A Bow Development Trust, said: “Take A Bow Development Trust are delighted to have now completed the acquisition and re-development of the former New Farm Loch Community Centre in Kilmarnock. The project has progressed over the last five years through a highly participative process that has involved the local community at every stage of the development. The project represents an excellent example of community-led regeneration and we are extremely grateful to all of our funding partners for helping us to transform the building into an exciting and dynamic new facility that will act as a base for the delivery of our performing arts programme and as a community hub.”