RIAS Awards 2014, Shortlist, Buildings, Architects, News, Designs, Judges

RIAS Awards 2015 Winners

Scottish Architecture Prize – The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland

18 Jun 2015

RIAS Awards 2015

RIAS Announces 12 Winners in Awards

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.

photo © Angus Bremner Photography

RIAS Awards in 2015

The judging panel was Iain Dickson PPRIAS (Chair), Julia Barfield RIBA, representing the Royal Institute of British Architects, Karen Cunningham, Director of next year’s Festival of Architecture, Hugh Dutton Hon FRIAS of Hugh Dutton Associés, Paris and Stuart Goodall, Chief Executive of Confor.

Willie Watt, President of the RIAS, commented:

“65 submissions from throughout Scotland, ranging in cost from £30,000 to £26m, is a tremendous vote of confidence. It absolutely confirms that this award, in only its fourth year, is now the single most important recognition of architectural achievement in Scotland.”

In the fourth year of the restyled awards the RIAS has again teamed up with Forestry Commission Scotland/Wood for Good, Historic Scotland, The Scottish Government and Zero Waste Scotland for our four prestigious sub-category awards.

The RIAS Awards 2015 winners are (listed alphabetically with short judges citations):

Arcadia Nursery, Edinburgh (contract value not for publication)

Malcolm Fraser Architects for The University of Edinburgh

“Three playrooms are linked together by a single-storey building, with a large roof light offering views up to the tree canopy. A first floor area contains offices, staff and family rooms. Each of the playrooms opens out to a covered terrace.

The timber structure provides the perfect combination of warm, tactile, welcoming interior, whilst also being a natural, sustainable material.”

Dalmunach Distillery, Moray (contract value not for publication)

Archial Norr (Inverness Studio) for Chivas Brothers (part of Pernod Ricard)

“Elegantly addressing the functional requirements of a contemporary distillery, this building also draws upon the rich history of such buildings.

The use of a traditional series of pitched roofs reflects tradition, while resolving functional issues. Salvaged materials are elegantly incorporated within the new entrance.”

Highland Steading (contract value not for publication)

Marcus Lee/FLACQ and cameronwebster architects for a private client

“Commanding long views, the building adapts an existing steading to create luxurious living with service accommodation onto the rear courtyard.

A reinterpretation of the historic hunting lodge, the new house utilises the level change to create a distinction between the luxurious living spaces to the front and the service accommodation to the rear.”

Lamb’s House, Edinburgh (contract value: £2,000,000)

Groves-Raines Architects Ltd for Groves-Raines Architects

“This rare survivor has been carefully restored from near dereliction and returned to its original usage, accommodating a business and home. Modern floors, ceilings, doors and windows were replaced using materials and techniques suitable to a Category A listed building.

The essential character of this, now fully restored, historic, 17th-century Leith town house is elegantly restored.”

Laurieston Transformational Area, Glasgow (contract value: £22,260,000)

Page\Park Architects and Elder and Cannon Architects for New Gorbals Housing Association

“Reinterpreting the traditional Glasgow tenement, these blocks, fittingly urban in scale, provide high quality homes, close to the heart of the city.

These affordable-rent homes in a layout of streets and mews in Laurieston build on the urban character of Glasgow, comprising clearly-defined blocks to reinforce the grid.”

Maggie’s Lanarkshire, Airdrie (contract value: £1,800,000)

Reiach and Hall Architects for Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centres

“This building offers a respite from the clinical atmosphere and built form of the nearby hospital.

Visitors enter a quiet arrival court, defined by low brick walls and two lime trees. A sense of dignity and calm prevails. External courts catch sunlight within sheltered “sitooteries.” This modest building gathers a sequence of domestic-scaled, contemplative spaces.”

The Mill, Southside Steading, Peebles (contract value not for publication)

WT Architecture for a private client

“An old mill in the Borders has been converted into a stylish holiday home, retaining much historic character.

Spaces are utilitarian and durable. The timber home slots into the existing structure, rising above the original wall head with a clerestory from which light spills down. The stepping of the building introduces half levels.”

Regency Dormer, Edinburgh (contract value: £32,000)

Konishi Gaffney Architects for a private client

“Challenging more traditional approaches, this low profile dormer window, elegantly detailed, transforms the home.

Conservative planning rules and a lack of headroom were overcome to extend a first-floor flat into a loft and create a new bedroom. After long negotiations a long rear dormer, clad in anthracite zinc by French artists, was agreed.”

Rosefield, Edinburgh (contract value: £166,564)

A449 LTD for Format Scotland Ltd.

“Respecting the utilitarian aesthetic of this former stable/coach house, this adaptation utilises a restrained palette to create a new family home. Respecting the building’s character was a priority with minimal alterations to the principal elevation.

Timber cladding distinguishes new elements, charred for longevity and reflecting the historical use of the site as a coal merchant’s yard.”

The Shields Centre, Glasgow (contract value not for publication)

Anderson Bell + Christie Architects for hub West Scotland

“Combining two medical practices with other social service provision, this building signals its presence with a brick-classical colonnade onto the street, a bold public presence in an urban landscape.

The design reflects the warm sandstone of nearby tenements. Privacy to clinical rooms behind the colonnade is provided by intricate Corten steel panels, by artist Alex Hamilton.”

Theatre Royal, Glasgow (contract value not for publication)

Page \ Park Architects for Scottish Opera

“Creating a welcoming entrance foyer and embracing a dramatic, sinuous stair, this new structure boldly signposts Scottish Opera’s HQ.

“Street to seat” was the ethos, with the client wanting to literally “open up” theatre and opera as art forms. By providing a welcoming entrance, addressing the street corner, the theatre experience has been “democratised”.”

West Burn Lane, St Andrews (contract value not for publication)

Sutherland Hussey Harris for EASTACRE Investments LLP

“Following St Andrews’ historic ‘rigg’ pattern, this new development is a graceful and intelligent insertion within one of Scotland’s finest historic urban environments.

Careful in scale and utilising materials of the highest quality, this unobtrusive contemporary housing development is set in a conservation area, embracing a series of public and private courtyards.”

Special Category Award – the Best Use of Timber

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

Arcadia Nursery, Edinburgh

Malcolm Fraser Architects

Craig White, Chair of Wood for Good said:

“The Wood for Good/Forestry Commission Scotland award-winning project is inspiring in its imaginative use of wood throughout the building, using cross laminated timber and wood cladding for its structure and external finish with the wood interior providing a seamless connection with the external use of wood in the nursery playground.

The result is a functional, attractive and welcoming series of spaces that provides the perfect environment for learning and play. Everyone connected with this project is to be congratulated.”

Special Category Award – Conservation and Climate Change

The winners of the Historic Scotland Award for Conservation and Climate Change were:

South Beach Medical Centre, Ardrossan

Reiach and Hall Architects

and

The Speirs Centre, Alloa

LDN Architects LLP

With a commendation to:

Howan, Egilsay, Orkney

Simpson and Brown Architects with Rachel Mayhew Architect

Diana Murray, Joint Chief Executive for Historic Scotland said:

“The calibre of entrants to this year’s competition was of the highest standard. So much so that we found it impossible to choose an outright winner and opted instead to bestow the award on two worthy recipients: the South Beach Medical Practice in Ardrossan, and the Speirs Centre in Alloa.

Both are unique and hugely worthwhile projects which have undoubtedly benefitted their surrounding communities, using innovative designs to incorporate state-of-the-art facilities into traditional buildings. My congratulations to both of them.

Special mention should also be given to the Howan, on Egilsay, Orkney, which was skilfully converted into a 21st Century holiday home, whilst still maintaining many original features of this B listed building.”

Special Category Award – Resource Efficiency

The winner of Zero Waste Scotland’s Resource Efficiency Award was:

Arcadia Nursery, Edinburgh

Malcolm Fraser Architects

With a commendation to:

The Noust Boathouse, Tiree

TOG Studio

Marissa Lippiatt, Head of the Resource Efficient Scotland programme at Zero Waste Scotland said:

“The construction sector is an important area of work for Resource Efficient Scotland. Resource efficiency is about more than simply reacting to poor environmental performance, it’s about designing to ensure that buildings not only perform efficiently in the present, but are capable of adapting to and maximising local opportunities as they arise.

Malcolm Fraser Architects has demonstrated this excellently and I’m delighted to announce them as the winners of this year’s Resource Efficiency Award for their work on the Arcadia Nursery. This is an innovative design which utilised space and natural lighting, as well as effectively integrating the service requirements with existing local infrastructure.”

Special Category Award – Scotland’s Client of the Year

The winner of the Scottish Government Scotland’s Client of the Year Award was:

New Gorbals Housing Association

Project: Laurieston Transformational Area, Glasgow (Architect: Page\Park Architects and Elder and Cannon Architects)

Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Europe and External Affairs, said:

“Clients play an immensely valuable role in achieving excellence in Scotland’s built environment, and the Client of the Year Award, which the Scottish Government is sponsoring for the third year, recognises this.

Clients who fully understand the value of design and who are dedicated to attaining quality have the potential to inspire their design teams to realise the best outcomes for projects, both for themselves and for their wider communities.”

From the 12 RIAS 2015 winners, five projects have won RIBA Awards for Scotland. These are:

Arcadia Nursery, Edinburgh

Malcolm Fraser Architects for The University of Edinburgh

Dalmunach Distillery, Moray

Archial Norr (Inverness Studio) for Chivas Brothers (part of Pernod Ricard)

Laurieston Transformational Area, Glasgow

Page\Park Architects and Elder and Cannon Architects for New Gorbals Housing Association

Maggie’s Lanarkshire, Airdrie

Reiach and Hall Architects for Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centre

West Burn Lane, St Andrews

Sutherland Hussey Harris for EASTACRE Investments LLP

The shortlist for the RIAS Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award, supported by the Doolan family and the Scottish Government (to be presented in November at the National Museum of Scotland) consists of all 12 of the RIAS Awards 2015 winners.

24 Mar 2014

RIAS Awards 2014 Shortlist

RIAS Awards 2014

RIAS Announces Strong Scottish Shortlist for RIAS/RIBA 2014 Awards

Issued Monday 24th March – The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS) has announced a 27 strong shortlist for its 2014 awards. The judging panel for this year includes Douglas Read PPRIAS, Marjorie Appleton FRIAS, Liz Davidson Hon FRIAS, Craig White RIBA and George Oldham RIBA RIAS, representing the Royal Institute of British Architects.

Iain Connelly, President of the RIAS, commented:
“We had 83 submissions from throughout Scotland. They range in scale from £26k for a little garden pavilion to £125m for a nationally important entertainment arena. This number of entries is a tremendous vote of confidence and confirms that this relatively new award, in only its third year, is now the single most important recognition of architectural achievement in Scotland.

The judges will visit all of the shortlisted schemes to determine which are worthy of an award. While the judges are considering an extraordinary range of projects of different scale and type, from a modest house extension to multi-million pound public buildings, they will be rewarding those projects which they feel best address the key role of architecture: to improve people’s lives. The judges are not restricted in the number of awards they make. Looking at the quality of this list, they’ve got a tough job ahead.”

RIAS Secretary, Neil Baxter, said:
“These awards bring together individual awards sponsored by the Scottish Government, Historic Scotland and Wood for Good/Forestry Commission Scotland and incorporate the RIBA Awards for Scotland. Over the last three years these awards have become firmly established as the most significant recognition of the social and economic benefits delivered by excellent architecture. The economic climate continues to be 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):

26-31 Charlotte Square, Edinburgh (£12m)
Morgan McDonnell Architecture Ltd

photograph © Robin Gautier
26-31 Charlotte Square
“This prestigious development deftly connects a row of restored townhouses with new-build. The covered, linking, courtyard is an appropriate transition between the restored townhouses and the contemporary block behind.”

261 West Princes Street, Glasgow (contract value not for publication)
Elder & Cannon Architects
“Two new-build blocks are set in a relationship to the existing tenements which generates a new internal pattern of landscaped courtyards. The materials forming the new elevations are intentionally bright and reflective.”

Advocate’s Close, Edinburgh (£30m)
Morgan McDonnell Architecture Ltd
Advocate’s Close
“Urban weaving at its most complex, connected into the existing patterns of Edinburgh’s upper Old Town, the project connects refurbished historic properties with new-build. A substantial mixed development, full of interest.”

The Battle of Bannockburn Visitors Centre, Stirling (contract value not for publication)
Reiach & Hall Architects

photograph © Adrian Welch
Battle of Bannockburn Visitors Centre
“In the year which marks the 700th anniversary of one of Scotland’s most famous battles, this building provides engaging interpretation. The, almost literal, “black box”, encloses a bright and welcoming interior.”

The Birks Cinema, Aberfeldy (£1.23m)
Robin Baker Architects
Birks Cinema
“This substantial Art Deco historic cinema, long derelict, provides a new 100-seater auditorium and a café/bar generating life, engagement and a cultural focus within a property which has been thoroughly reinvigorated.”

Buchanan Gardens, Glasgow (contract value not for publication)
BDP
“The frontage on Glasgow’s premier shopping street is a series of attractive blocks with different treatments. The rooftop residencies open onto a garden, generating a new community in the heart of the city.”

Cliff House, Isle of Skye (£245,000)
Dualchas Architects
“Simple geometries and timber cladding connect this new home to its beautiful elevated site. Highly insulted, the house provides maximum protection from the extremes of Skye’s weather.”

Clydebank East Workshops, Clydebank £1.49m)
Elder & Cannon Architects
“What might have been simple, utilitarian structures are transformed into a development which declares itself. A simple palette redefines conventional notions of workshops, setting a marker for future development.”

Commonwealth Games Athletes’ Village, Glasgow (£150m)
RMJM Architecture Ltd
Commonwealth Games Athletes’ Village
“The Games’ new sports facilities and accommodation are an enduring asset. This development of attractive modern homes will welcome a new community to Dalmarnock and generate a sustainable future for the whole area.”

Daliburgh Primary School, Isle of South Uist (£9.10m)
3D Reid
“Set amid a low lying island landscape, the building’s profile and materials sit gently within this natural context. The plan is simple, enclosing courtyards which provide shelter and light.”

District 10 – Unit 0.1, Dundee (£1.26m)
AIM
“Recycled shipping containers in zany configurations adorn urban settings across Europe. This development, one of the first in Scotland, boldly incorporates IT motifs to welcome start-up businesses to a revitalised Dundee.”

Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation, Edinburgh (£6.10m)
Malcolm Fraser Architects

photograph © Dave Morris Photography
Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation
“Appropriately for a building focussed on sustainability, this facility utilises two historic buildings, connected and given cohesion by a new circulation block. The development draws on the past to enhance the future.”

Grassmarket Community Project, Edinburgh (£1.54m)
Gareth Hoskins Architects
Grassmarket Community Project
“Transforming an awkward gap site into the entrance to enhanced facilities provides a new social enterprise amenity in the heart of Edinburgh. The new building occupies its site with ingenuity and charm.”

The Haining, Selkirk (£750,000)
Lee Boyd Ltd

photo © Graeme Duncan Photography
The Haining
“Finding appropriate and sustainable new uses for historic buildings is always a challenge. Within these archways, new studio workshops optimise the use of the existing spaces with minimal disruption to their historic character”

House at Camusdarach Sands, Glenancross, Morar (contract value not for publication)
Raw Architecture Workshop
“The new building, like its setting, appears angular and elemental. The simplicity of the external forms and materials manage to both signal the new building yet appear robustly contextual and appropriate.”

House by the Woods, St Andrews (contract value not for publication)
Fife Architects
“The form of both the rear extension and the porch deliberately contrasts with the warm stone and pantiles of the original. The aesthetic elegantly combines the traditional with the overtly modern.”

House No. 7, Isle of Tiree (contract value not for publication)
Denizen Works
“This tight development utilises both the traditional black house form and more agriculturally derived structures to create main and guest houses within its enclosed setting, all elegantly drawn into a unified internal composition.”

The Inn at John O’Groats, Caithness (£2.50m)
GLM

photo courtesy of architects
John O’Groats Buildings
“This symbolic, much visited, location was, for too long, down at heel. Brightly coloured pavilions extend the restored Victorian hotel to create a whole new attraction and a highly visible landmark.”

Knockando Woolmill, Aberlour (£2.02m)
LDN Architects
“The mill and its adjoining buildings, previously very much at risk, have been given new life. Visitor facilities and accommodation are subtle and understated, preserving and reinterpreting important elements from Scotland’s past.”

Mackenzie Place, Edinburgh (£50,000)
Sutherland Hussey Architects
Mackenzie Place Building
“This simple pavilion in the park signals the well-established allotments for which it provides an important and overdue amenity. Spare and restrained, it is an elegant and attractive intervention.”

Muirfield Gate, Gullane (contract value not for publication)
Lindsay Buchan Architects
“This important house has been adapted and extended in an appropriate and respectful manner. The new additions are carefully blended with the original to enhance this Arts and Crafts masterpiece.”

National Mining Museum Scotland, Newtongrange (contract value not for publication)
Purcell
“Running up through three floors, this memorial wall, featuring new photographic and object displays, is an elegant and powerful addition to the already extensive interpretation and restored workings of the existing museum.”

Redevelopment of St Martin’s Church, Edinburgh (contract value not for publication)
Ian Springford Architects
St Martin’s Church, Edinburgh
“The site of the former church has enabled the building of a more modest and adaptable worship space alongside new residential development. Materials are simple and elegant and the whole development appropriately restrained.”

Scottish Crime Campus, Gartcosh (£49.02m)
Ryder Architecture with bmj architects (joint venture)
Scottish Crime Campus
“This large development brings together extensive state-of-the-art laboratories and support facilities. Crime scene investigation science is used as a theme in both surface treatments and plan.”

Scottish Water – The Bridge, Stepps (contract value not for publication)
Reiach & Hall Architects
“A new Scottish classicism delineates this elegant office development at the edge of a business park. The restraint of the external forms and materials is continued within the dramatic central atrium.”

The SSE Hydro, Glasgow (£125m)
Foster + Partners

image © Adrian Welch
SSE Hydro
“By raising the circular auditorium at an angle, a simple servicing and access diagram is created below the “flying saucer” form of this new landmark. Superbly lit it becomes a night-time beacon”

Waitrose, Helensburgh (£4.20m)
Cooper Cromar
“The giant over-sailing roof declares a building which is far from the familiar image of the edge of town supermarket. This is an elegant and welcoming new approach to retailing.”

An announcement of the jury’s decision will be made at the RIAS Awards Dinner on 18th June.

RIAS Awards Background

Previously the Royal Incorporation co-ordinated The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Awards for Scotland. However in 2012, for the first time, by agreement with its sister Institute, the RIBA, the RIAS launched its own award scheme. Entries to these awards are also eligible for RIBA Awards for Scotland.

In order to simplify and improve the awards process in Scotland, the RIAS Council, in agreement with the RIBA, established a ‘one-stop’, submission process. Entries submitted are now eligible to win the new RIAS Awards, RIAS Category Awards, RIBA Awards for Scotland and RIBA Special Awards. Winners will also be eligible for the RIAS Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award and the RIBA Stirling Prize.

RIAS Awards
Past winner – The Chapel of Saint Albert the Great, Edinburgh by 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.”