Carbon Futures, has been recognised at the 2026 Scottish Property Awards for our contribution to the transformational refurbishment of the Take A Bow Opportunity Centre in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire.
The Take A Bow Opportunity Centre project received a Highly Commended award in the ‘Net Zero Development of the Year’ category at the awards ceremony which took place at the Hilton Doubletree in Glasgow on Thursday 26th February.
Originally a deteriorating 1970s building, the former New Farm Loch Community Centre was acquired in 2019 by the Take A Bow Development Trust, a charitable organisation with a bold vision: to transform it into a thriving, energy-efficient, user-led hub for the East Ayrshire arts sector and wider community.
That vision has now been realised through an ambitious and environmentally progressive retrofit programme led by O’Donnell Brown Architects and supported by Carbon Futures.
Appointed during the early design stages, Carbon Futures developed a comprehensive energy strategy to dramatically reduce the building’s carbon footprint, optimise operational efficiency, and minimise long-term energy costs.
The completed re-development of The Take a Bow Opportunity Centre will extend the building’s life and provide a future-proofed facility that fully aligns with net zero performance criteria.
The combination of wall, roof and floor insulation, together with the installation of air source heat pumps and LED lighting, has meant that the centre is predicted to reduce energy consumption from 265kWh/m2 to 82kWh/m2, representing a 65% reduction in energy consumption and carbon emissions, whilst also meeting Net Zero targets from leading industry guidance such as the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard and LETI’s Climate Emergency Design Guide.
Carbon Futures Director David MacConnell attended the celebration and collected the award on behalf of the project team. He commented:
“Carbon Futures is immensely proud that Take A Bow received a Highly Commended award in the Net Zero Development of the Year category at the Scottish Property Awards. Given the calibre of the other nominees, it is a fantastic achievement for the Take A Bow Community Centre. Enormous credit to our client, Take A Bow Community Trust, whose commitment and ambition have turned a bold vision into reality, that will have a lasting impact on the community.”
John McManus, Chairperson of the Take A Bow Development Trust added:
“Improving the energy efficiency of the building and reducing our carbon emissions has been a central element of our 2.7m refurbishment of the former New Farm Loch Community Centre in Kilmarnock. The approach that has been taken has helped to make the refurbished centre much more sustainable and demonstrates what can be achieved at a community level through creative and innovative design approaches. We are delighted to receive this recognition”.
For more detailed information on the Take A Bow project, please visit: carbonfutures.co.uk/project/take-a-bow-opportunity-centre/
