RIAS Awards 2013, Shortlist, Buildings, Architects, News, Designs, Judges

RIAS Awards : Scottish Architecture Prize

The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland

13 Jun 2013

RIAS Awards 2013

The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS) has announced 12 winners, representing the very best of current Scottish architecture, at its annual Awards Dinner held in Edinburgh last night.

RIAS Awards 2013 Winners

The judging panel included RIAS President Iain Connelly, Dr Joyce Deans CBE PPRIAS, Lori McElroy MBE, Kathy Li of the Mackintosh School of Architecture and Roger Stephenson OBE, representing the Royal Institute of British Architects.

Iain Connelly, President of the RIAS, commented:
“75 submissions from throughout Scotland, ranging in cost from zero to over £30m is a tremendous vote of confidence. It absolutely confirms that this award, in only its second year, is now the single most important recognition of architectural achievement in Scotland.”
In the second year of the restyled awards the RIAS has again teamed up with Forestry Commission Scotland and Wood for Good but also this year with Historic Scotland and Zero Waste Scotland with three prestigious sub-category awards.

The RIAS Awards 2013 winners are (listed alphabetically with short citations):

The Beacon Arts Centre, Greenock (£7m approx.)
LDN Architects
(Client: Greenock Arts Guild)

photograph © Paul Zanre
Beacon Arts Centre Greenock
“This building seems wholly appropriate for its superb waterside setting. It is elegantly contemporary in its materials and form, both open and welcoming.”

The Chapel of Saint Albert the Great, Edinburgh (contract value not for publication)
Simpson & Brown Architects
(Client: The Order of Preachers)

photograph © Chris Humphreys
“This building is markedly different from the historic property to which it is attached. However this is a supremely elegant and attractive solution, a place of worship that invites visitors in.”

Dunfermline High School (contract value not for publication)
Fife Council Property Services
(Client: Fife Council Education Service)

photograph © Andrew Beveridge, FCPS
“The sheer scale of this major new secondary school demanded a simple, navigable plan and separation of facilities. This is well achieved with materials and art enhancing the daily experience of its users.”

Forth Valley College of Further and Higher Education – Stirling Campus (£15.6m)
Reiach and Hall Architects
(Client: Forth Valley College of Further and Higher Education)

image © Keith Hunter
Forth Valley College of Further & Higher Education
“This is a deceptively simple contemporary building within an expansive landscape setting, incorporating workshops, studios, classrooms, a library and social spaces with elegant understatement.“

Ghost of Water Row (no budget – all work and material given in kind)
Edo Architecture
(Client: Edo Architecture)

photograph © Tom Manley
The Ghost of Water Row
“This project was architecture as installation art. Commemorating the late sculptor, George Wyllie Hon FRIAS, it was a powerful evocation of local history while also signalling a creative future.”

House, Lenzie (contract value not for publication)
cameronwebster architects
(Client: Ms Marion Venman)

photograph © Andrew Lee
“This reworking of a 1970s house creates a new relationship with the building’s site, with contemporary, yet timeless, materials and form.”

4 Linsiadar, Isle of Lewis (contract value not for publication)
studioKAP
(Client: Ms Margrit Macleod)

photograph © Keith Hunter
4 Linsiadar
“Built out of a former croft, this new home has a rugged, almost natural, presence within the island landscape. Drawing upon history, this building also very positively signals its newness.”

Mareel, Lerwick (contract value not for publication)
Gareth Hoskins Architects
(Client: Shetland Arts Development Agency)

photograph © Phatsheep Photography
Mareel
“Set on an historic waterfront site, this is an important cultural facility. This building embraces theatre, cinema and performance, reflecting and encouraging creativity.”

The Sir Duncan Rice Library, Aberdeen (£30.63m)
Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects
(Client: University of Aberdeen)

photo : Adam Mørk
The Sir Duncan Rice Library
“This is a contemporary international structure within one of Scotland’s most important historic settings. Its internal arrangement cleverly challenges preconceived notions of “the library”.”

Thomas Telford Parliamentary Church, Berneray (£300k)
Patience & Highmore Architects
(Client: Keith and Sheenagh McIntyre)

photograph © Derek Patience
“This simplest and plainest of stone built structures encloses a marvellous new home. The layout of the interior and the way natural light is brought into every area is ingenious.”

The Turf House, Isle of Skye (£132k)
Rural Design
(Client: Indi and Rebecca Waterstone)

photograph © Nigel Rigden
“The new Skye vernacular, timber-clad homes in the landscape, is here taken to a new level. This is architecture of a relatively modest scale, but significant ambition.”

WASPS South Block, Glasgow (contract value not for publication)
NORD Architecture
(Client: Wasps Creative Industries CIC)

photograph © Dapple Photography
WASPS South Block Glasgow
“Adapting a behemoth Victorian city block into new studios, gallery space and visitor facilities is crisply and ingeniously achieved. An intelligent and appropriate facility within a very creative city.”

Highly Commended (listed alphabetically)

Abbotsford Conservation & Visitors Building, Melrose (£3.2 million)
LDN Architects
(Client: Abbotsford Trust)

photograph © Paul Zanre
Abbotsford House Visitor Centre

Assembly Rooms renewal, Edinburgh (£7 million approx.)
LDN Architects
(Client: City of Edinburgh Council)

photograph © Paul Zanre
Assembly Rooms Edinburgh

The Barony Centre, West Kilbride (£1.2 million)
Ingenium Archial Ltd (Client: West Kilbride Community Initiative)

The Dutch Barn, Insch (£322k)
Acanthus Architects df (Client: Acanthus Architects df)

The Glad Cafe, Glasgow (contract value not for publication)
ATW Architects (in association with Eggmachine) (Client: The Glad Cafe)

Malin House, Dunstaffnage (contract value not for publication)
ADF Architects (Client: Highlands & Islands Enterprise)

Wormit Extension (contract value not for publication)
WT Architecture (Client: Mr Jon Christie)

Commended

The Transient Gallery (£2,800)
GRAStudio (Client: Scotland+Venice Partners)

Special Category Award for the Best Use of Timber

The winner of the Wood for Good/Forestry Commission Scotland Award for the Best Use of Timber was:

Abbotsford Visitor Reception Building, Melrose
LDN Architects (Client: Abbotsford Trust)

Commended: The Turf House, Isle of Syke
Rural Design (Client: Indi & Rebecca Waterstone)

Andy Leitch, Timber Development Policy Advisor at Forestry Commission Scotland said:
“We are delighted to continue to be involved in the RIAS awards as we feel it is important to celebrate the imaginative and innovative use of responsibly sourced timber products by the architecture community in Scotland”

Special Category Award for Conservation and Climate Change

The winner of the Historic Scotland Award for Conservation and Climate Change was:

WASPS South Block, Glasgow
NORD Architecture (Client: Wasps Creative Industries CIC)

Commended: The Barony Centre, West Kilbride
Ingenium Archial Ltd (Client: West Kilbride Community Initiative Ltd)
Historic Scotland’s Chief Executive, Ian Walford said:
“The work undertaken to the Glasgow’s WASPS South Block is a prime example of the efforts and ingenuity being taken across the historic environment to ensure it plays its part in combating climate change and delivering long-term sustainable uses for traditional buildings.”

Special Category Award for Resource Efficiency

The winner of the Zero Waste Scotland Award for Resource Efficiency was:

Dunfermline High School
Fife Council Property Services (Client: Fife Council Education Service)

Commended: Malin House, Dunstaffnage
ADF Architects (Client: Highlands & Islands Enterprise)

Iain Gulland, Director, Zero Waste Scotland said:
“I’m delighted to announce Fife Council Property Services as the winner of the Resource Efficiency Award in recognition of the construction of Dunfermline High School.
“They have shown a commendable effort in ensuring that resource efficiency is integrated into the design of the school, from the initial construction to the performance use and disposal of materials at the end of life.”

RIBA Awards for Scotland

From the 12 RIAS 2013 winners, five projects have won RIBA Awards for Scotland. These are:

The Chapel of Saint Albert the Great, Edinburgh (contract value not for publication)
Simpson & Brown Architects (Client: The Order of Preachers)

Forth Valley College of Further and Higher Education – Stirling Campus (£15.6million)
Reiach and Hall Architects (Client: Forth Valley College of Further and Higher Education)

4 Linsiadar, Isle of Lewis (contract value not for publication)
studioKAP (Client: Ms Margrit Macleod)

Mareel, Lerwick (contract value not for publication)
Gareth Hoskins Architects (Client: Shetland Arts Development Agency)

The Sir Duncan Rice Library, Aberdeen (£30.63million)
Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects (Client: University of Aberdeen)

The shortlist for the RIAS Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award, supported by the Doolan family and the Scottish Government (to be presented on 7^th November 2013 at the Scottish Parliament) consists of all of the RIAS 2013 winners.
25 Mar 2013

RIAS Awards 2013 Scotland

RIAS Announces Strong Scottish Shortlist for 2013 Awards

The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS) has announced a 25 strong shortlist for its 2013 awards. The judging panel for this year includes RIAS President Elect Iain Connelly FRIAS, Dr Joyce Deans CBE PPRIAS, Lori McElroy MBE, Kathy Li of the Mackintosh School of Architecture and Roger Stephenson OBE, representing the Royal Institute of British Architects.

A strong contender for winner – University of Aberdeen New Library,
by Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects:

photo : Adam Mørk

Sholto Humphries, President of the RIAS, commented: “We had 75 submissions from throughout Scotland and ranging in scale from a few thousand pounds to over £30m. This number of entries is a tremendous vote of confidence and confirms that this new award, in only its second year, is now the single most important recognition of architectural achievement in Scotland.

The Ghost of Water Row:

photograph © Tom Manley

The judges will visit all of the shortlisted schemes to determine which are worthy of an award. While we are considering an extraordinary range of projects of different scale and type, from a modest house extension to a multi-million pound large new secondary school, (and, unusually, one project that doesn’t even exist!) we will be rewarding those projects which we feel best address the key role of architecture: to improve people’s lives. We are not restricted in the number of awards we make and looking at the quality of this list, the task ahead of us will be a tough one.”

Forth Valley College:

photograph © Keith Hunter

RIAS Secretary Neil Baxter said:

“The fact that these awards bring together individual awards sponsored by Historic Scotland, Wood for Good/Forestry Commission Scotland and Zero Waste Scotland and incorporate the RIBA Awards for Scotland gives them real strength. The economic climate for architecture continues to be really tough and it is a huge credit to the profession in Scotland that the remarkable work illustrated in these submissions is still being produced. Scotland’s architectural renaissance continues!”

The shortlist for Scotland comprises the following buildings (listed alphabetically with comments from the judges):

Abbotsford Visitor Reception Building, Melrose (£3.2m)
LDN Architects

photograph © Paul Zanre
“Tourist visitors now demand dedicated facilities which frequently cannot be easily incorporated within historic attractions. This is achieved very deftly and attractively in this new building.”

An Cridhe, Isle of Coll (£999,600)
Anderson Bell Christie

photograph © Andrew Lee
“The form of this building is deceptively simple and thoroughly appropriate to the island vernacular. What it delivers is of huge social value.”

Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh (£7m approx.)
LDN Architects

photograph © Paul Zanre
Assembly Rooms Edinburgh
“The historic elegance of this important suite of performance and reception spaces has been wholly respected through restoration and adaptation, giving them a whole new lease of life and an economically positive future.”

The Barony Centre, North Ayrshire (£1.2m)
Ingenium Archial Ltd

photograph © David Barbour
“Without pastiche and in materials that serve as a foil to this handsome historic church, new uses and new life have been brought to the building.”

The Beacon Arts Centre, Greenock (£8.2m approx.)
LDN Architects

photograph © Paul Zanre Photography
“This building seems wholly appropriate for its superb waterside setting. It is elegantly contemporary in its materials and form, both open and welcoming.”

The Chapel of Saint Albert the Great, Edinburgh (contract value not for publication)
Simpson & Brown Architects

photograph © Chris Humphreys
“This building is markedly different from the historic property to which it is attached. However this is a supremely elegant and attractive solution, a place of worship that invites visitors in.”

Dunfermline High School, Dunfermline (contract value not for publication)
Fife Council Property Services

photograph © Andrew Beveridge
“The sheer scale of this major new secondary school demanded a simple, navigable plan and separation of facilities. This is well achieved with materials and art enhancing the daily experience of its users.”

The Dutch Barn, Insch, Aberdeenshire (£322k)
Acanthus Architects df

photograph © Margaret Soraya
“There can be few more prosaic structures than the original, utilitarian, steel barn which has been transformed into this comfortable and attractive new home.“

Forth Valley College of Further and Higher Education – Stirling Campus (£15.6m)
Reiach & Hall

photograph © Keith Hunter
Forth Valley College
“This is a deceptively simple contemporary building within an expansive landscape setting, incorporating workshops, studios, classrooms, a library and social spaces with elegant understatement.“

The Ghost of Water Row (temporary structure, all work and material given in kind)
Edo Architecture

photograph © Tom Manley
The Ghost of Water Row
“This project was architecture as installation art. Commemorating the late Sculptor, George Wyllie Hon FRIAS, it was a powerful evocation of local history while also signalling a creative future.”

The Glad Cafe, Glasgow (contract value not for publication)
ATW Architects (in association with Eggmachine)

photograph © Grant Hugh Jones
“No question that you’d want to have coffee and maybe even a cake here. Ingenious, subtle, sustainable – and fun! This is real architecture on a budget, creating a new community asset.”

House, Lenzie (contract value not for publication)
cameronwebster

photograph © Andrew Lee
“This reworking of a 1960s house creates a new relationship with the building’s site, with contemporary, yet timeless, materials and form.”

Linsiadar (4), Isle of Lewis (contract value not for publication)
studio KAP

photograph © Keith Hunter
Linsiadar House
“Built out of a former croft, this new home has a rugged, almost natural, presence within the island landscape. Drawing upon history, this building also very positively signals its newness.”

Malin House, Dunstaffnage, by Dunbeg (contract value not for publication)
ADF Architects

photograph © Dennis Hardley
“This is a large building which incorporates laboratory, administration and social spaces very elegantly. The external form expresses this brief in materials which fit well within its dramatic and beautiful setting.”

Mareel, Lerwick (contract value not for publication)
Gareth Hoskins Architects Ltd (Executive Architect PJP Architects, Lerwick)

photograph © Phatsheep Photography
Mareel Lerwick
“Set on an historic waterfront site, this is an important cultural facility. This building embraces theatre, cinema and performance, reflecting and encouraging creativity.”

The Olympia, Glasgow (£5.1m – excluding public realm)
PagePark Architects

photograph © Andrew Lee
Olympia Theatre Glasgow
“The Olympia Theatre, one of the great landmarks of Glasgow’s East End, long a sad ruin, has been brought back into the life of the community. This is an important piece of regeneration.”

Phoenix Flowers, Glasgow (£1m)
7N Architects

photograph : Dave Morris
Phoenix Flowers
“The underbelly of the M8 transformed into a fantastical landscape that makes you smile. This is an ingenious way of making difficult public realm safer and more accessible.”

Rosslyn Chapel Conservation & Visitors Centre, Roslin (contract value not for publication)
PagePark Architects

photograph © Andrew Lee
Rosslyn Chapel
“One of Scotland’s most famous buildings has been sensitively restored with meticulous care. The new visitors centre with interpretation and a café enhances the welcome.”

Sugarhouse Close, Edinburgh Old Town (contract value not for publication)
Oberlanders Architects LLP

photo from Oberlanders Architects LLP
Sugarhouse Close Edinburgh
“This is a very large development on a difficult site, combining re-used historic buildings and new-build with ingenuity. Materials, landscaping and scale are all appropriate to the weave of the Old Town.”

Thomas Telford Parliamentary Church, Berneray, North Uist (£300k)
Patience & Highmore

photograph © Derek Patience
“This simplest and plainest of stone built structures encloses a marvellous new home. The layout of the interior and the way natural light is brought into every area is ingenious.”

The Transient Gallery (temporary structure, £2,800)
GRAStudio

photograph © Murdo McDermid
“Originally designed for Venice and since re-used in Scotland, this is an intriguing, lightweight exhibition structure which draws visitors in.”

The Turf House, Isle of Skye (£132k)
Rural Design

photograph © Nigel Rigden
“The new Skye vernacular, timber-clad homes in the landscape, is here taken to a new level. This is architecture of a relatively modest scale, but significant ambition.”

University of Aberdeen New Library, Aberdeen (£30.63m)
Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects

photo : Adam Mørk
University of Aberdeen Library
“This is a contemporary international structure within one of Scotland’s most important historic settings. Its internal arrangement cleverly challenges preconceived notions of ‘the library’.”

WASPS South Block, Glasgow (contract value not for publication)
NORD

photograph © Dapple Photography
“Adapting a behemoth Victorian city block into new studios, gallery space and visitor facilities is crisply and ingeniously achieved. An intelligent and appropriate facility within a very creative city.”

Wormit Extension, Fife (contract value not for publication)
WT Architecture

photograph © Matt Laver
“This is a simple and ingenious reworking of a typical Victorian stone semi. The reconfigured interior is a huge improvement in circulation, configuration of the rooms and response to the views it commands.”