Scottish Design Awards unite past and present at 25th anniversary dinner

THE Scottish Design Awards has marked 25 years of celebrating creativity from around Scotland with an anniversary dinner in Glasgow.

Marking a return to live events, the gathering celebrated both today’s best examples of architecture and design and past greats – from as far back to the formation of the awards in 1998.

Supported by media partners Urban Realm and The Drum, this year’s event saw Anderson Bell + Christie walk away with the architecture Grand Prix award for the Fielden Street housing development in Glasgow, praised by judges for its attention to detail. The Design Grand Prix meanwhile was awarded to BRC Imagination Arts for the Johnnie Walker Visitor Centre, heralded as a ‘celebration moment’ on a street which has long needed some good news.

The chair’s award for design was bestowed upon PimPam for BackSpin, a book celebrating a charitable art exhibition to raise funds for Drumchapel Table Tennis Club. Dave Roberts, director of Superunion London and chair of the design panel, said, “There is something quite pure about it, in the world we live in today the idea of bringing people together around a sport is refreshing – ultimately it celebrates the power of creativity for good on a number of levels.”

Across the design divide architecture chair Allan Murray, founding director of Allan Murray Design, opted for Ostro Passivhaus, an energy-efficient home designed by architect-clients Paper Igloo. He said, “It sends all the right messages about energy. It’s full of light, beautiful spaces and energy which kick it into the clear blue water.”

Urban Realm editor John Glenday commented, “The tick of a clock can leave even the coolest among us perspiring on deadline day but ensures the steady flow of new people, fresh ideas and upstart practices to challenge the old order. Equally, the Scottish Design Awards are not just a snapshot of today’s best but a continuum from yesterday’s greats to tomorrow’s stars, all of whom we must nurture.”

With one eye to the future, this year’s programme also recognised Sammi Duong as the young designer of the year for ‘delivering a signature style in a corporate world of briefs’. Amy Knowles-Brown meanwhile was named young architect of the year for adhering to process, not just aesthetics.

The full list of awards is as follows:

Architecture Grand Prix

Anderson Bell + Christie for Fielden Street

Chair Award

Paper Igloo Ltd. for Ostro Passivhaus

Practice of the Year Award

Brown & Brown Architects

Interior Design

Winner: Cabins in the City Limited for Cabins in the City Limited

Commendation: Scarinish for Mamasan Liverpool

Commendation: GRAS for treen

Regeneration

Winner: Hypostyle Architects for Riverside Dalmarnock

Commendation: Holmes Miller Architects, Morgan Sindall Construction, Optimised Environments (Open), Dundee City Coucil, Lee Simmons for Waterfront Place, Dundee

Residential

Winner: Paper Igloo Ltd. for Ostro Passivhaus

Commendation:Brown & Brown Architects for House for a Chemist

Commendation: Kepdarroch Farmhouse

Affordable Housing

Winner: Anderson Bell + Christie for Fielden Street

Commendation: Anderson Bell + Christie for Helenvale Street

Health Building or Project

Winner: Hoskins Architects for Greenock Health and Care Centre

Commendation: Page\Park Architects for The Health and Wellbeing Centre

Education Building or Project

Winner: Page\Park Architects for Campus Central, University of Stirling

Commendation: jmarchitects for Calderwood Primary School

Commendation: Stallan-Brand Architecture + Design Ltd for Jedburgh Grammar Campus

Commercial/Office/Hotel Building or Project

Nicoll Russell Studios for New Headquarters for St Andrews Links Trust

Public Building

Winner: Flanagan Lawrence Architects for Laidlaw Music Centre, University of St Andrews

Commendation: Reiach and Hall Architects for The Fruitmarket Gallery

Future Building or Project

7N Architects for Re-Imagining Railway Stations

Retrofit

Award: Loader Monteith for High Sunderland

Commendation: Cabins in the City Limited for Cabins in the City Limited

Low Cost Project Schemes Under 200k

Award: Arc Architects Ltd, David Narro Associates, ERZ Landscape Architects, Glasgow School of Art, Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh, Russwood, Timber Design Initiatives, Mae-ling Lokko for Future By Design

Award: S+Co for Corr Cabin

Public Realm/Landscaping

Award: rankinfraser landscape architecture, Blyth & Blyth, Foto-Ma, Four by Two for The Bowline

Commendation: LUC for The Claypits, Glasgow’s Inner City Nature Reserve

Commendation: Historic Environment Scotland for Doune Castle – Ardoch Burn Crossing

Master Planning

Award: ARPL Architects for Midsteeple Quarter masterplan

Young Architect of the Year

Award: Amy Knowles-Brown