Latest news with #RobbieWalker
Daily Record
24-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
SNP accused of 'ripping off' work of small Scots business for profit
SUNDAY MAIL EXCLUSIVE: The party has now withdrawn its product after being accused of copying the Edinburgh firm's design. The SNP has been accused of ripping off the work of a small Scottish business for profit. The nationalists have now withdrawn a product after claims it was a 'bootlegged' version of one by independence-supporting brand Pieute. The Edinburgh-based brand, founded by Robbie Walker more than a decade ago, released a water bottle and t-shirt in 2020 featuring the slogan 'Scottish tap water'. It became one of their best-selling designs. But the SNP recently released a similar looking water bottle, for £10 cheaper, with the slogan 'Quality Scottish Tap Water'. It prompted claims from the brand that the party had stolen its work. In a post on social media, the company wrote: 'Our main reason for existing is to further the cause for Scottish independence … 'We didn't expect for our country's biggest political party for independence to copy almost exactly our main source of income for their own profit.' As compensation the company asked for the SNP to fund t-shirts they have promised to more than 200 people who competed in its Gaelic language challenge contest, captioning the post 'fund the tees and it's a truce'. It said: ' As there were many more participants [in the contest] than expected we've not been able to afford to fulfil the promise yet. This is what they can do to make it right. It also mutually supports our joint objectives.' The company said the SNP"have now reached out and taken the product down' before announcing they have produced a new version of their best-selling original water bottle for sale online. Some of the brand's supporters commented on the post with one saying: ' Glad to see they at least took it down in the end. Wish they were as focused on independence as they are bootlegs though.' Another said: 'While you're talking to them, ask them how they intend to achieve independence cos we're not allowed it.' A third fan added: 'The current SNP leadership couldn't deliver a pizza let alone independence. Funding grassroots cultural and language projects instead of endlessly pumping cash into quango bootlickers would be a small start.' The SNP has been contacted for comment.
News.com.au
09-05-2025
- General
- News.com.au
2025 Houses Awards: Bushfire ready steel treehouse among short-listed Victorian projects
An elevated steel treehouse built to withstand bushfire and a cavern-like hideaway are among standout Victorian homes in contention to be crowned Australia's House of the Year. More than 80 projects from across the state have been short-listed for the 2025 Houses Awards, with many rewarded for embracing the 'radical idea of doing less'. One of the smallest abodes to make the cut is Sawmill Treehouse, an unconventional one-bedroom bush retreat constructed over a gully where street water was discharged. Described by one visitor as a 'spaceship', the Robbie Walker design sits on four slender columns that mimic the surrounding trees, allowing for cars to pass underneath. The high risk of ember attack dictated that all external materials had to be nonflammable, so the treehouse roof and walls were covered in steel slats that serve the dual purpose of providing shade and natural cooling. Houses Awards jury chair Alexa Kempton said the short-listed homes pioneered bold new ideas. She said there was an emerging trend towards more compact homes and out-of-the-box transformations that spared existing homes from demolition. 'Many of this year's short-listed homes show us that we should be designing smarter, rather than bigger,' Ms Kempton said. 'Increasingly, we see architects telling clients 'you don't need more space – you need better design'. 'The jury observed modestly scaled new houses as well as clever interventions to existing homes and applauded this continue emphasis on responsible residential design.' Rising demand for granny flats and studios has also seen the introduction of a new category this year to recognise small projects. But there's still plenty of grand statements in the mix, such as the striking House on a Hill, by Leeton Pointon Architects and Allison Pye Interiors. The curvaceous country retreat on the Mornington Peninsula is short-listed in the New House over 200sq m category. The home's robust concrete walls, cave-like arched doorways and dramatic windows are designed to shelter multiple generations of the family from its harsh windy environment while framing distant pastoral views. Capitalising on the vista over Mount Martha also inspired another ambitious Mornington Peninsula project in the same category, FIGR Architecture Studio's pavilion style Kross House. The design was inspired by the local boardwalk and appears to levitate above the hillside and an 18m lap pool below. In Northcote, Wowowa directors Monique and Scott Woodward's own California bungalow renovation is in the running for best House Alteration and Addition under 200sq m. Barbie would be right at home among the pink, copper and maroon residence, designed during maternity leave. A cinquefoil arch is a nod to a favourite Jaipurian holiday destination, while inside pink cabinetry and ceilings radiate warmth. Even bolder interior choices, including a bathroom cabinet constructed from shells and an upside down periscope, make an appearance at another a quirky Great Ocean Road beach house. The aptly named 'She Sells Sea Shells' by Multiplicity is in the running for best New House under 200sq m. A bunk room for the kids is just about the only conventional feature of the Aireys Inlet getaway, which has retro carpet on the walls, instead of the floors, and a brick island bench. The winners of the 2025 House Awards will be announced at a gala event on August 1, with one home from across the nine categories to be crowned Australian House of the Year.
