Saltire Society Housing Design Awards 2018 The Saltire Society Housing Design Awards 2018 were announced at a ceremony at the Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation presented by Allan Little, Guest Chair of the Awards. The Saltire Medal Leith Fort, Edinburgh Architect: Collective Architecture / Malcolm Fraser ArchitectsClient: The City of Edinburgh Council / Port of Leith Housing AssociationContractor: CCG Ltd Leith Fort is a superbly executed development the respects the special history and character of Leith while creating homes that match the needs of those who live in them. At a time when there is a crying need for more social housing and affordable private housing in the Scottish capital, Leith Fort is an inspiring example of what is possible on a limited budget: homes that are affordable, generously proportioned, and in a spacious urban setting that is designed to promote neighbourliness, community and a sense of ownership, belonging and local pride among the residents. Single Dwellings Commendations Westside, Penicuik Roxburgh McEwan Architects: ArchitectsMichael Rummey & Jenny Cowan: ClientPJM Joinery & Building Ltd: ContractorAED Ltd: Structural EngineerMcLeod & Aitken: Quantity Surveyor A rural home that sustains its household. It revisits the traditional Scots longhouse and adapts it for homeworking and a rental annexe for tourists. Upstairs is open to the roof that gives their rooms a sense of spaciousness. Westside co-exists well in its Borders setting with an unadorned yet elegant utility. It is a compelling example of how well-designed housing contributes to an economically active countryside. Single Dwellings Awards Due West, Argyll Cameron Webster Architects: ArchitectsMr and Mrs Turner: ClientTSL: ContractorDavid Narro Associates: Structural Engineer An exquisite home against a cliff close to Craobh Haven that immerses the visitor in magnificent views out over the west coast. Built off two rocks, it combines ambitious engineering with a beautiful and precise resolution of the building at every scale. Due West is an exceptional project in combining a real feeling for drama with the sense of being a much-loved home. Milbuies House, Edinburgh Cameron Webster Architects: ArchitectsDavid and Robert Gillan-Reid: ClientGeorge Bolton Ltd: ContractorDavid Narro Associates: Structural Engineer An exceptional transformation of a post war modernist house into a beautifully composed, contemporary home. By virtue of a bold yet straightforward strategy to cover its existing courtyard, the building opens out into a series of spacious, light and well-proportioned rooms. Impeccably finished, it is truly transformational yet remembers to remind us of its original qualities. The Coach House, Arnothhill, Falkirk :thatstudio Chartered Architects: ArchitectsStephanie Wilson: ClientGeorge Bolton Ltd: ContractorDavid Narro Associates: Structural EngineerGray and Dick: GlazingMatheson Plumbing: Zinc Cladding & Roofing EcoCoil: Ground Source and UFH Burlington Stone: FlooringRusswood: Timber CladdingNB Connect: ElectricsMGM: KitchenAndrew Lee: Photographs A home modest in size but with great ambition and an exemplar as how to build appropriately in the grounds of substantial Victorian villas. Two sliding window walls open out to the courtyard and completely convinces in its intention to blur boundaries between inside and outside. It has a sense of spaciousness that belies its compact footprint. Beautifully designed and constructed, this is an exceptional contribution to Falkirk’s built environment. Inclusive Family Home, Edinburgh Chambers McMillan Architects: ArchitectsPamela and Walter Anderson: ClientOrocco Joinery: ContractorJames Lewis SDC: Structural Engineer A nondescript semi-detached bungalow in Edinburgh, renewed and recast to accommodate the special needs of a family member. A new extension opens out to the garden; it feels generous and dispels any sense of the institutional. The commitment and expertise of the architects along with the enthusiasm of the client create an exceptional project that leverages a modest budget to produce a truly inclusive home. Claddens Holdings, Lenzie John Gilbert Architects: ArchitectsJoe McManners & Margaret Kerr: ClientDavid Walsh Carpentary: Contractor A house that is exceptional in delivering integrated sustainable design in Scotland. Conceived as a Passive House to exacting standards of energy conservation, it also addresses with great rigour the ecological choices to be made in building materials and finishes. With elements of self-build, the relationship between client, contractor and architect are mutually collaborative and supportive. It is robust but carefully detailed and shows elegance, strength and depth in its design. Multiple Dwellings Commendations Fortune Place, Moredun Smith Scott Mullan Associates: ArchitectsCastle Rock Edinvar, part of the Places for People Group: DeveloperHart Builders Ltd: Contractor Housing in southern Edinburgh for older people that has a strong and confident presence to the street. Individual apartments are well designed that lead to generous communal facilities organised around courtyard gardens. Fortune Place is exemplary for its successful and coherent resolution at a both human and urban scale. Park View, Dundee Page\Park Architects: ArchitectsWhiteburn Projects Ltd: ClientHart Builders: ContractorElliot & Co Structural EngineerHarley Haddow M+E: EngineersGraham Sinclair: Quantity Surveyor A housing development in the western suburbs of Dundee with expansive views south across the Tay. An existing reform school is refurbished and extended with care, accompanied by a series of new build apartments. Their gable ends face the street with an entirely appropriate scale and presence. This is an exemplar development that knows its market well and rewards them with a building generous in both space and specification. Multiple Dwellings Awards Leith Fort, Edinburgh Collective Architecture / Malcolm Fraser ArchitectsThe City of Edinburgh Council / Port of Leith Housing Association ClientCCG Ltd: ContractorHarrison Stevenson: Landscape ArchitectWill Rudd Davidson: Structural EngineerDavid Adamson & Partners: Quantity Surveyor An exceptional project that regenerates a historic site in Edinburgh with a mix of mid-market and social rent housing. A legible and straightforward masterplan is sophisticated and elegant in its execution. The individual apartments are distinctive and generous. Leith Fort works sensitively in its historic context and connects well with surrounding streets. It is an outstanding development that encourages in so many ways a sense of community and belonging. Powis Place, Aberdeen Carson and Partners: ArchitectsAlumno Developments: ClientKier Scotland: ContractorTurner and Townsend: Project ManagerFairhurst: Quantity Surveyor / Structural Engineer / Civil EngineerHawthorne Boyle: Landscape Mechanical and Electrical Building Services Engineer A student residence in Aberdeen that has a confident and sophisticated presence on a challenging corner site at the edge of the city centre. Its residents enjoy outside space both in a protected courtyard and a penthouse terrace with expansive views. This is an exceptional project demonstrating how commoditised housing built to a budget can be a significant work of architecture. Innovation in Housing Awards Commendation Linkwood View, Elgin Kraft Architecture LTD: ArchitectHanover (Scotland) Housing Association LTD: ClientSpringfield Properties PLC: Contractor An increasing ageing population brings challenges for us to have the right type of housing and care support for older people. This extra care housing project has developed a form of independent living that caters for a range of care needs and provides independent living within a social interactive setting. The project demonstrated how a collaborative partnership can meet people’s care needs by employing the skills, experiences and resources of a private developer, Springfield Properties, Hanover Housing Association and Health and Social Care Moray. While this extra care development meets the needs of older people it is open to those across the age spectrum. It is particularly pleasing to see the benefits of an inter-generational approach where younger and older people live successfully in the same place. High Commendation Countesswells Phase 1, Aberdeen Optimised Environments Ltd (OPEN): Masterplanner / Architect /Landscape ArchitectCountesswells Development Limited: ClientFairhurst: Structural EngineersIronside Farrar: Environmental Consultants In order for Scotland to build more housing, increasingly planners are releasing large scale housing land. However, large sites require large infrastructure commitments that need large scale funds at the start of the project which is often a barrier to effective development. At Countesswells the commitment to front end investment has been achieved by a dedicated investment company to be responsible for the master planning, infrastructure, landscape and services leaving house builders to concentrate on building houses. This project unlocked funding barriers by having the support of Aberdeen City Council to enable Countesswells to obtain a UK Government HM Treasury loan guarantee that provides lenders with the confidence to fund infrastructure. This Treasury loan guarantee was the first to be made available for housing purposes. Award for Innovation in Housing Bath Street Collective Custom Build, Edinburgh John Kinsley Architects: ArchitectsBath Street Collective Custom Build: ClientCreate Engineering: Structural EngineersHM Raitt and Sons: Main Contractor In Scotland housing is almost exclusively produced by developers and housing associations. There are very limited opportunities for self-builders, particularly on urban sites. The Bath Street project has addressed this by bringing together four families to act collaboratively to develop and produce a contemporary tenement on a gap site in the capital city. The Bath Street project is a genuinely innovative form of procurement in Scotland that has produced four very cost-effective flats in an urban context. What is particularly impressive is that in doing so it has produced high quality contemporary architecture. The dwelling is very low energy and uses cutting edge construction techniques but is carefully integrated into the street scape and urban form. Furthermore, in bringing together the families to make the buildings, it has also made a community. The project had to overcome a number of organizational, legal and technical hurdles to achieve this outcome, but in demonstrating the applicability of a model more frequently used in Europe, the project serves as an exemplar for this type of development in Scotland.