November 18 2008

The New Cancer Research Facility at the Beatson Institute, Glasgow, designed by Reiach and Hall Architects, has won the Glasgow Institute of Architects (GIA) Supreme Award 2008.  The award was presented to the winning architects at the GIA Annual Dinner at Òran Mór, Glasgow on Friday 14 November.

Fifty-four building projects from across the country were submitted to the GIA Awards, for which a total of 15 awards and commendations were made.  In the end, however, the judging panel, chaired by Glasgow City Design Advisor, Professor Gerry Grams, was deeply impressed by the sheer quality and beauty of the Beatson Institute’s new Cancer Research Facility and unanimously selected it for the Supreme Award.

Professor Gerry Grams said:

“The building positively oozes ‘cool’ from the outside, and demands that you touch it inside – it is a ‘tour-de-force of skilful transparency allowing light deep into the plan. The judges congratulate the architects and their client in creating an ambitious and exacting work of beauty, which surely is now a benchmark building for others to follow”.

The client’s brief for the Beatson Cancer Facility was to create a world-class research environment, and notwithstanding some difficulties during the build, the architects have delivered a stunning building which is deceptively simplistic but technically highly complex.

The new building accommodates seminar rooms, a lecture theatre, social areas and laboratories with supports spaces for 250 staff. It floats within a walled garden surrounded by the mature grounds of the Garscube Estate on the outskirts of Glasgow.

Neil Gillespie, Design Director at Reiach and Hall Architects, said:

"We are absolutely delighted to win the Best Healthcare Building Award and the Supreme Award for our Beatson Cancer Research Facility from the Glasgow Institute of Architects. The Beatson, brilliantly lead by Professor Karen Vousden, is a fundamentally important Institution. It is a privilege to be associated with the shear ambition and quality of the research contained within this building."

GIA President, Martin McKay said:

“The judges were extremely impressed by the quality of projects submitted by practices.  Innovation, exciting design and attention to detail is in great abundance, proving that contemporary architectural design can be a real beacon of light in these difficult times.  As well as recognising the brilliant achievement by Reiach and Hall Architects in designing the world-class new Cancer Research Facility, the judges were also delighted to give this year’s Sustainability Award to Page\Park Architects for their superb refurbishment and extension of the Eden Court Theatre in Inverness”.

Beatson Institute images copyright Paul Zanre

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