June 19 2014

The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland has named 13 winners in this year’s RIAS Awards, chosen from 27 short-listed projects.

Winning work ranged in scale from Robin Baker Architects £1.2m refurbishment of the Birks Cinema, Aberfeldy all the way through to Foster + Partners £125m SSE Hydro, Glasgow, but only four went on to win a RIBA Award for Scotland.

These were Elder + Cannon’s 261 West Regent Street; House No.7 by Denizen Works; Scottish Water, The Bridge, by Reiach & Hall and Cliff House by Dualchas.

In addition Margaret Richards was recognised with a lifetime achievement award by the architect’s body, presented by its president, Iain Connelly. He said: “Margaret Richards’ early career, in London, involved her with some of the most iconic buildings of the mid-20th Century. Her work with Robert Matthew at the very outset of his practice was instrumental in establishing Robert Matthew, Johnson-Marshall & Partners as a major international force in architecture.

“She then combined work and a very busy family life alongside her late husband, John Richards PPRIAS, supporting him and working alongside him in a career which is acknowledged as one of the most significant in Scotland in the last 50 years.  She is extremely modest and self-effacing, liked and admired by all who have worked with her.”

The judging panel included judging panel included Marjorie Appleton FRIAS, Doug Read PPRIAS, Liz Davidson OBE Hon FRIAS, Craig White RIBA and George Oldham RIAS RIBA.

All 13 projects will now automatically go into contention for the RIAS Andrew Doolan best building in Scotland award.

 
The RIAS Awards 2014 winners

261 West Princes Street, Glasgow
Elder & Cannon Architects (Client: CCG)

“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.”

 

Advocates Close, Edinburgh (£12m)
Morgan McDonnell Architecture Ltd (Client: Chris Stewart Group)

“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 Birks Cinema, Aberfeldy (£1,235,000)
Robin Baker Architects (Client: Friends of the 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 and a townscape which has been thoroughly reinvigorated.”

 
Buchanan Gardens, Glasgow
BDP (Client: Land Securities)

“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
Dualchas Architects (Client: Not for publication)

“Simple geometries and timber cladding connect this new home to its beautiful elevated site. Highly insulated, the house provides maximum protection from the extremes of Skye’s weather.”

 

Clydebank East Workshops, Glasgow
Elder & Cannon Architects (Client: Clydebank Rebuilt)

“What might have been standard, utilitarian structures are transformed into a development which declares itself. A simple but refined colour palette redefines conventional notions of workshops, setting a marker for future development.”

 

Commonwealth Games Athletes’ Village, Glasgow (£125m)
RMJM Architecture Ltd (Client: City Legacy)

“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 has the potential to generate a sustainable future for the whole area.”

 

Grassmarket Community Project, Edinburgh (£1,541,324)
Gareth Hoskins Architects (Client: Greyfriars Kirk)

“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, providing a warm welcome to all.”

 

House No. 7, Isle of Tiree

Denizen Works Ltd (Client: Mrs Liz Kerr)

“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 (£2.5m)
GLM (Client: Natural Retreats)

“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, Knockando (£2.02m)         
LDN Architects (Client: Knockando Woolmill Trust)

“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.”

 

Scottish Water – The Bridge, Stepps
Reiach & Hall Architects (Client: Scottish Water)

“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 (Client: Scottish Exhibition and Centre Ltd (SEC))

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

1 Comment

Post your comments

Your name (required)
Your email (not displayed)
Comments (required)
	All comments are pre-moderated and must obey our house rules.