Best Scottish Building 2015, Doolan Prize Winner, Architects, Exhibition, Shortlist, UK
RIAS Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award 2015
West Burn Lane St Andrews: RIAS Award for Architecture – Scottish Built Environment Prize
RIAS Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award 2016
4 Nov 2015
RIAS Andrew Doolan Award for Architecture 2015
West Burn Lane, St Andrews Scoops UK’s Richest Architecture Prize
4 Nov 2015 – West Burn Lane, St Andrews by Sutherland Hussey Harris has been awarded the RIAS Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award for 2015. From a shortlist of twelve projects, all winners of RIAS Awards for 2015 (presented in June 2015), the judges selected West Burn Lane as a clear winner. The award was presented at a ceremony at the National Museum of Scotland (Doolan Award winner for 2011) by the Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs, Ms Fiona Hyslop MSP alongside Mrs Margaret Doolan Hon FRIAS (the late Andrew Doolan’s mother).
photo © Keith Hunter
The winner of this year’s RIAS Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award receives a gold medal cast by internationally renowned Scottish Goldsmith, James Brent Ward and a cheque for £25,000. This makes it the richest architectural prize in the UK and one of the most significant architecture awards in Europe. The award is generously supported by the late Andrew Doolan’s family and by the Scottish Government.
photo © Keith Hunter
Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs, Fiona Hyslop, said:
“Once again, both the worthy winner and the strength of this year’s shortlist for the RIAS Andrew Doolan Award have shown that the quality of Scotland’s new architecture stands shoulder to shoulder with the best in the world.
In both our contemporary architecture and our built heritage, the RIAS has a great richness upon which to draw for its Festival of Architecture during the Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design in 2016. The Scottish Government is pleased to support both of these initiatives to celebrate and promote Scottish design excellence.”
photo © Keith Hunter
The full judges’ citation for the winning project reads:
“This is a commercial residential development in a very particular location, where potential purchasers demanded spaces and finishes of an extremely high standard. This has been achieved. The (former architect) client worked closely alongside his architects at every stage.
Expertly woven into the existing fabric of St Andrews, although uncompromisingly contemporary, the development acknowledges the historic street pattern and scale of its special context. The external materials palette is limited and of extremely high quality. While the built fabric in the vicinity is predominantly structural stone, the use of a warm continental brick with narrow courses is appropriate and welcoming.
photo © David Weir
A variety of different house types, some with integral garaging, punctuate the long front elevation on West Burn Lane. Careful shifts in level and depth along both front and rear elevations of the development add interest, while emphasising the scale of the separate homes which come together in this virtuoso work of urban renewal.
Internal finishes are appropriately ‘high end’ with generous plans, taking maximum advantage of views. Both externally and internally, the detailing is meticulous and the development is full of interest. The client and the local planning authority are well worthy of praise for creating a fine, twenty-first century, housing development, wholly appropriate to the place and the needs of owners.”
photo © SHA
The building was selected from a strong shortlist of twelve projects which represented a comprehensive range of building types.
RIAS Andrew Doolan Award for Architecture 2015 Special Mention
The judges felt that two projects merited a Special Mention. These are:
Arcadia Nursery, Edinburgh
Malcolm Fraser Architects
Laurieston Transformational Area, Glasgow
Page\Park Architects and Elder and Cannon Architects
The panel of judges was chaired by Willie Watt PRIAS, along with Dame Barbara Kelly Hon FRIAS, Peter McIlhenny FRIAS, Past President of the RIAS’ Inverness Chapter and Margaret Richards FRIAS, winner of last year’s RIAS Lifetime Achievement Award.
The panel looked for projects which showed innovation and design excellence, irrespective of size or type. Other key considerations were: detailing, accessibility, environmental issues and technical skill. From the sixty five entries for the 2015 RIAS Awards twelve were shortlisted for the ‘Doolan’.
Willie Watt PRIAS commented that;
“Year on year the shortlist for this award, all winners of RIAS Awards, demonstrates the superb quality of contemporary Scottish architecture. The work of architects can be transformative, not simply of places, but of people’s lives. This shortlist testifies to that and the worthy winner is a great building of the current era which will hopefully contribute to a more enlightened approach to our historic townscapes. Well done all the architects and particular plaudits to the superb winning scheme.”
RIAS Andrew Doolan Award for Architecture 2015 Shortlist
The shortlist for the RIAS Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award comprised this year’s RIAS Awards winners, as follows:
- Arcadia Nursery, Edinburgh
Malcolm Fraser Architects for The University of Edinburgh
photo © Angus Bremner
- Dalmunach Distillery, Moray
Archial Norr (Inverness Studio) (for Chivas Brothers (part of Pernod Ricard))
photo ©Paul Zanre
- Highland Steading, Blairgowrie
Marcus Lee/FLACQ and cameronwebster architects (for a private client)
photo © Marcus Lee and cameronwebster architects
- Lamb’s House, Edinburgh
Groves-Raines Architects Ltd (for Groves-Raines Architects)
photo © groves-raines architects
- Laurieston Transformational Area, Glasgow
Page\Park Architects and Elder and Cannon Architects (for New Gorbals Housing Association)
photo © Andrew Lee
- Maggie’s Lanarkshire, Airdrie
Reiach and Hall Architects (for Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centres)
photo © David Grandorge
- The Mill, Scottish Borders
WT Architecture (for a private client)
- Regency Dormer, Edinburgh
Konishi Gaffney Architects (for a private client)
photo © Alan Craigie
- Rosefield, Edinburgh
A449 LTD (for Format Scotland LTD)
photo : Matthew Johnson
- The Shields Centre, Glasgow
Anderson Bell + Christie Architects (for hub West Scotland)
photo © Keith Hunter
- Theatre Royal, Glasgow
Page \ Park Architects (for Scottish Opera)
photo © Andrew Lee
- West Burn Lane, St Andrews
Sutherland Hussey Harris (for EASTACRE Investments LLP)
Sutherland Hussey – new page for Sutherland Hussey Harris online again soon
RIAS Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award Winners
2013
WASPS South Block, Glasgow
Design: NORD Architecture
photograph : Dapple Photography
WASPS South Block
2012
Maggie’s Gartnavel, Glasgow
Design: OMA
photo © Adrian Welch
Maggie’s Gartnavel
2011
National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh
Design:Gareth Hoskins Architects
photo © Adrian Welch
National Museum of Scotland
Best Building in Scotland Award
2010
Shettleston Housing Association Offices, Glasgow
Design: Elder and Cannon Architects
photo © Andrew Lee
Shettleston Housing Association Offices
Best Building in Scotland Award 2010
2009
Small Animal Hospital, Glasgow
Design: Archial Architects
photo © Andrew Lee
Small Animal Hospital Glasgow
Best Building in Scotland Award 2009
2008
Joint Winners
Potterrow, Edinburgh
Design: Bennetts Associates
photo © Adrian Welch
Potterrow, Edinburgh
Castlemilk House Stables Block, Glasgow
Design: Elder & Cannon Architects
photo © Keith Hunter
Castlemilk House Stables Block, Glasgow
Special Mention:
Culloden Battlefield Visitor Centre, Inverness
Gareth Hoskins Architects Ltd
Andrew Doolan Award for Architecture : 2008
2007
Pier Arts Centre, Orkney
Design: Reiach & Hall Architects
photo © Gavin Fraser, Alastair Peebles
Andy Doolan Awards winner
Andrew Doolan Award for Architecture : 2007
2006
Maggie’s Highland Cancer Care Centre, Inverness
Design: PagePark Architects
photo © Adrian Welch
Best Building in Scotland – Maggies Highlands
Best Building in Scotland Award 2006
2005
Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh
Design: EMBT/RMJM
2004
St Aloysius College, Glasgow
Design: Elder and Cannon Architects
2003
An Turas, Tiree
Design: Sutherland Hussey Architects with Jake Harvey, Glen Onwin, Donald Urquhart and Sandra Kennedy
2002
Dance Base, Edinburgh
Design: Malcolm Fraser Architects
Location: Scotland
Architecture Awards
Best Building in Scotland Award
University of St Andrews Music Centre Competiiton – 26 Oct 2015
Scottish Architecture
RIAS Lifetime Achievement Award
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