Glasgow Architecture News in 2016, Strathclyde Buildings, Architects, Design Images Scotland

Glasgow Building News 2016

Scottish Architectural + Construction Updates – West of Scotland Property up to end of July 2016

31 Jul 2016

Glasgow News Archive
Strathclyde Construction Updates Jan to Jul 2016

Glasgow Architecture News in 2016

The Edinburgh Grand – St Andrew Square Development
27 Jul – Plans by developer Chris Stewart Groupfor the major renovation of the Royal Bank of Scotland’s former home on St Andrew Square: The Edinburgh Grand – luxury serviced accommodation.

Glasgow Doors Open Days Festival Programme
28 Jul – Launch: The 27th Doors Open Days Glasgow 2016event will launch at the beautiful St Andrew’s in the Square, Calton.

On Wednesday 3rd August between 6pm-7.30pm, Glasgow Building Preservation Trust and friends will gather for an exciting launch in one of Glasgow’s most historically significant buildings to unveil the 2016 week-long FREE festival programme of open doors, talks, tours, special events and children’s activities.

Glasgow Doors Open Days is part of the Festival of Architecture 2016, which will celebrate Scotland’s fantastic built environment, as a key part of the 2016 Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design celebrations.

Seven Lochs Wetland Park receives significant funding
Johnston Loch Scotland
image : GCV Green Network Partnership
28 + 27 Jul – Plans to create Scotland’s largest urban heritage and nature park have been given a major boost following the announcement that it is to receive £4.5m funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

The Seven Lochs Wetland Park project is a partnership between Glasgow City Council, North Lanarkshire Council, Forest Enterprise Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage and The Conservation Volunteers Scotland, working alongside local communities to bring together 16km² of lochs, parks, nature reserves and woodlands between Glasgow and Coatbridge.

The £6.8 m project sets out how the area’s heritage buildings, wildlife habitat and archaeology will be improved, protected and brought together to create a new attraction of national significance.

Exhibition of Scottish Architecture
26 Jul – An exhibition of Scottish architecture held as part of a major festival in Italy is to be staged for the first time in Scotland, reports the BBC today.
The festival has been organised by the Oban Communities Trust.
In Venice, Prospect North featured a virtual reality experience that involved viewing Scottish locations while using animal-shaped headwear is coming to Scotland.
The VR included a 3D, 360 degree visual of Boreraig, a village on Skye ruined in the Highland Clearances.
It is hoped that some of the experience might be available during Prospect North at the Rockfield Centre, but the heads suffered wear and tear after being well used in Venice.

Floating Pub in Leith
26 Jul – Planning application by GRAS for a new floating platform that is as an expansion to a pub on the Shore, Leith, Edinburgh. The installation will accommodate additional seating, a servery, storage space and an accessible WC.

Trump Aberdeenshire Hotel Extension
22 + 21 Jul – Aberdeenshire Council and the Trump Organisation have reached an agreement over plans to expand MacLeod House – the centrepiece of Donald Trump’s golf resort at Menie, near Balmedie:
Trump International Golf Course + Resort Aberdeenshire Hotel Extension

Govan Nursery Building
21 Jul – A private nursery on Linthouse Road, Govan, designed by Davide Rizzo Architect has gone on site. It is due for completion by this October.
The building is part of a mixed-use masterplan for an area of brownfield land opposite the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.

Dunne Group Enters Administration
20 + 19 Jul – Hundreds of construction workers have been laid off with immediate effect following the collapse of Scottish construction firm Dunne Group.
The firm has been involved in the construction of some major projects, including the new Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.
The news means 524 of the 540 jobs employed across the group have been lost, 200 of which are in Scotland.

A&DS and RIAS Scottish Student Awards for Architecture 2016
19 Jul – Daniel Cardno’s project proposing transition from skills associated with the oil and gas industry towards an economy concentrated on maritime industry and tourism won the RIAS Rowand Anderson Silver Medal, as Maelys Garreau picked up the A&DS Award for best 3rd year student with her proposed design for a “catch-up” institution for previously hospitalised children using outdoor play.

Daniel Cardno Project:
Daniel Cardno Project 2

Their projects were just some of the high quality student projects awarded at the annual Architecture and Design Scotland (A&DS) and RIAS Scottish Student Awards for Architecture.

Jonathan Lynn Suzanne Priestley Project:
Jonathan Lynn Suzanne Priestley Project

Maelys Garreau Project:
Maelys Garreau Project

The winners were announced on Thursday 14th of July at a ceremony at the Saunders Centre, Glasgow Academy, a new building by Page \ Park Architects recently celebrated at the RIAS Awards.

Tiree Building
18 Jul – Denizen Works has obtained planning permission for a four bedroom home on the Isle of Tiree, consolidating a number of ruins and an existing boat house in the process.
Mannal House will see living accommodation and a master-suite inserted within the remains of a byre building which will adjoin a new build wing by way of a glazed connection, aligned to maximise views out to sea whilst offering shelter for garden areas.
Utilising existing stonework as well as render the new home is located close to House No.7, an award winning reconstruction of an existing cottage.

Dunfermline Waterski Centre
18 Jul – Taylor Architecture Practice has unveiled a £105k refurbishment and extension of the National Waterski Centre at Townhill Loch, Dunfermline, on behalf of Sport Scotland.
Designed to enhance the centres relationship with the water the extension takes the form of a triangulated pitched roof extending from the existing centre and rising to a peak by the lochside.
Externally stained black Siberian Larch rainscreen cladding is used to tie-in visually with the existing building.

Disappearing and [Re]Imagining Glasgow
The Glasgow film maker Chris Leslie will show and talk about his work concerned with the recent demolition and regeneration of Glasgow’s urban fabric. Also a photographer and visual artist, he has been documenting his changing city with the award-winning, long-term multimedia project The Glasgow Renaissance, now renamed to Disappearing Glasgow.
21 July 6:00pm – 7:30pm at Edinburgh College of Art, 74 Lauriston Place, Edinburgh
Cost: £7 full price £5 concessionary rate
See Events page for details

Kelvindale Housing
15 Jul – Cube Housing Association and Mast Architects have moved on site with a development of 52 homes for social rent within the west end of Glasgow at Kelvindale Place.
Broken down into three distinct builds the scheme will include one ‘amenity’ block tailored to older residents, complete with wet rooms, easy access wall sockets and communal social spaces.

Scottish University Buildings
14 Jul – Almost a quarter of university buildings in Scotland have been found to be in a poor condition and in need of investment at a time of “significant cost pressures”. Audit Scotland has warned that Scottish universities were increasingly using internal funds and borrowing to pay for capital projects which was “unsustainable” in the long term.
The overall condition of the estate indicates that significant expenditure will be required in the future. There report notes 22 % of the overall higher education estate in Scotland is in poor or very poor condition and 38 % of the sector’s estate dates from the 1960s and 1970s.

Glasgow Building on Stirling Prize Shortlist
14 Jul – good news, one building out of six is from Scotland, and it is in Glasgow:
City of Glasgow College, Riverside Campus makes the Shortlist for RIBA Stirling Prize 2016.

Kirkintilloch Town Hall Extension
Kirkintilloch Town Hall Extension
13 Jul – CBC has commenced excavation work for the extension to Kirkintilloch Town Hall designed by Michael Laird Architects.
The current hall is to be converted to an events and exhibition space with enhanced circulation, facilities and access dovetailing with public realm improvements to Union Street.

Kilmahew / St Peter’s
12 Jul – NVA news: “It has been a fantastic year so far for Kilmahew / St Peter’s, and last week brought more good news: Hinterland won the Judges’ Choice Award at the first ever Sunday Herald Scottish Culture Awards. The Judges’ Choice Award acknowledged a cultural event, artist or performance which provided “that feeling that you are in exactly the right place at the right time … when the stars collide and you know that the play, or dance performance, or gig is something truly exceptional”. Unable to choose just one winner, the judges decided to award both Hinterland and synth pop band CHVRCHES. It is a huge honour to win this award in the inaugural year of the Scottish Culture Awards and to be recognised alongside the other finalists and winners who represent the breadth of creative talent in Scotland.”

Trump Turnberry Refurbishment
13 Jul – Trump Turnberry’s renewal on at the Ayrshire golf resort is complete.
The refurbishment involved remodelling and upgrading of 103 bedrooms, each with its own feature marble bathroom. Construction of a 6,000sqft ballroom to host 500 people was another key element of this renewal project.

Bell Street Stable Block
12 Jul – Overhaul of a B-listed Bell St stable block by Collective Architecture. The proposal includes 52 flats for mid-market rent on behalf of the Wheatley Group.
Built to house the city’s cleansing department the Bell Street property once played host to a multitude of horses, carts, harnesses and fodder but had latterly fallen into disuse as the department moved onto more modern premises.

Collegelands Student Housing
11 Jul – A previous consent to erect a 458 bed student housing block within Collegelands has been amended by Glasgow design studio Anderson Bell Christie Architects. The project is for developer Vastint. It is being progressed in parallel with plans for a Moxy branded hotel.
Street level facilities include study areas, gym, games zones, movie room, laundry facilities and a reception.

Glasgow Botanic Gardens Footbridge
11 Jul – A historic pedestrian bridge in Glasgow’s Botanic gardens is to be restored after experts discovered severe corrosion.
The £80,000 scheme is likely to result in the B listed Hump Back Bridge over the River Kelvin closing to allow work to be carried out.
The ornate Victorian structure is located 100m upstream from Queen Margaret Drive. The structure links the Kelvin Walkway to the Botanics.

New Scottish Planning Bill
11 Jul – The Scottish Government has identified 10 immediate actions which it said will help deliver more homes and speed up the planning process.
Building on the momentum that gathered during the work of the independent planning review panel, housing and planning minister Kevin Stewart said the crucial actions are a sign that the reform of planning will be based on “collaboration rather than conflict”.
The Scottish Government will work with local authorities, developers and community groups to develop more detailed proposals for reform, which will be fully consulted on later this year. This will pave the way for a new Planning Bill to be brought forward to the Scottish Parliament in 2017.

Evans Dakota Hotels Building
8 Jul – 3DReid Architects have lifted the lid on an £8.5m Glasgow hotel conversion, offering 83 bedrooms on behalf of Evans Dakota Hotels on the corner of West Regent and Pitt Street.

People’s Palace & Winter Gardens Closed
7 Jul – Glasgow’s People’s Palace has been closed amid fears that glass above the Winter Gardens could come crashing down. Glazing in the iron-framed Victorian glasshouse was repaired in 2013 at a cost of £140,000 but it has emerged that some panels are loose.
Glasgow City Council shut the social history museum and glasshouse this morning and it is expected to remain closed for several days.
When it does reopen an area of the Winter Gardens is likely to be out of bounds while repairs are carried out.
The Winter Gardens, which can be accessed from the museum, houses tropical plants and a bustling café.

A council spokesman said: “Both the People’s Palace and the Winter Gardens are closed today and will be over the weekend.
“They’ve been closed on health and safety grounds due to an issue with loose panels in the glass roof of the Winter Gardens.

Highlander House Offices
7 Jul – Extensive refurbishment design by Cooper Cromar of Highlander House is proceeding, with a full internal strip out and recladding for Sandy Holdings.

Perth City Hall Building
7 Jul – “Some information regarding the council’s plan to turn the City Hall into a visual arts centre. This appears to be based on the premise of housing the Stone of Destiny there. On the surface this seems to be excellent news, and hopefully it will go ahead successfully.”
Perth Concert Hall

Scottish Kengo Kuma Pavilion
6 Jul – Review in the RIBA Journal – “The first UK pavilion by renowned Japanese architect Kengo Kuma combines the rustic randomness of a fireside log pile with precision engineered offsite prefabrication. Grappling with a limited budget, and a mere two-day timeframe for assembly, local designer James F Stephen Architects chose to adapt Kuma’s concept into a prefabricated panelised structure.

At the end of the Expo, in July, the pavilion will be reinstalled at Dundee’s new Slessor Gardens, part of the regenerated waterfront beside the site of V&A Dundee. It will eventually be transferred back to Templeton woods to function as a shelter for cyclists.”
https://www.ribaj.com/culture/kengo-kuma-pavilion

Glasgow Banking Hall
5 Jul – A B-listed Glasgow banking hall dating from the 1920’s has been reborn as a contemporary ‘brewpub’ following interior refurbishment works carried out by Jestico + Whiles.

World Architecture Festival News
4 Jul – The only Scottish project is Ranfurly & Cochrane Garden Rooms, Johnstone, by Spark Architects:
World Architecture Festival Finalists

Saltire Society Housing Design Awards Winners
4 Jul – The winners of the 2016 Saltire Society Housing Design Awards and the recipient of the Saltire International Travel Bursary have been announced:
Saltire Society Housing Design Awards

Glasgow Clock Tower News
4 Jul – Austin-Smith:Lord have completed a clean, restoration and reinstatement of a 189 year old clock tower at Glasgow’s Gallery of Modern Art, Queen Street.

Argyle Street Homes
1 Jul – Sanctuary Scotland Housing Association will reinstate a missing 200 metre section of Glasgow’s Argyle Street in Anderston thanks to a £60m regeneration project.
It was lost in the 1960s when Anderston’s tenements were replaced with flatted blocks. Having demolished the blocks Sanctuary Scotland will restore the street plan and build a further 206 homes.

HRI Architects News
1 Jul – Inverness-based HRI Architects has today announced the acquisition of Thomas Munro & Co., one of the oldest architects’ practices in Scotland. Total staff will remain the same at 10.
The new practice is to be called HRI Architects Incorporating Thomas Munro. Its principal, Colin Munro, will continue as a consultant.
HRI will relocate from its current premises to Thomas Munro & Co. premises at 62 Academy Street.
HRI was established in 1997 whilst Thomas Munro and Co was founded back in 1898.

Lochgelly Town Centre Awards
30 Jun – Regeneration of Lochgelly’s centre, Fife, has been awarded first place in two categories at the UK’s Planning and Placemaking Awards.

Clydebank Community Sports Hub
27 Jun – A £3m redevelopment of Clydebank Community Sports Hub has been approved.
The plans will see the existing clubhouse in Whitecrook significantly increased in size and the creation of a floodlit all-weather pitch and 10 community allotments.
Councillors on the Planning Committee approved the plans and it is now expected that the development will start early in 2017.

Dunblane School Building News
27 Jun – Holmes Miller Architects have secured planning permission in principle for the creation of a new Queen Victoria School, Dunblane, by Stirling Council.

Kelvin Hall Building News
24 Jun – Glasgow City Council has approved a second phase of refurbishment of the Kelvin Hall.

The local authority and the Scottish Government are to fund £8.2 million of works to the building, including a new roof and further developments.

Kelvin Hall is to re-open at the end of the summer as one of the UK’s biggest museums and research centres following a £35m revamp led by Barr Construction.

The building recently housed a sports arena and Glasgow’s Transport Museum.

It will now house 1.5 million pieces from Glasgow’s civic collection and Glasgow University’s Hunterian Museum.

RIBA National Award Winners 2016
23 Jun – The UK’s best new buildings, we select the three from Scotland. Three from fourty-six awards represents 6.5% which is a little below Scotland’s population percentage of UK population which is around 8.3%.

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has today, Thursday 23 June, announced the winners of the 2016 RIBA National Awards, the most rigorous and prestigious awards for new buildings in the UK.

RIBA National Award-winning buildings set the standard for good architecture. The shortlist for the coveted RIBA Stirling Prize for the UK’s best building of the year will be drawn from the 46 award-winning buildings announced today.

The three Scottish building winners of the 2016 RIBA National Awards:

– City of Glasgow College, Riverside Campus by Michael Laird Architects/Reiach and Hall Architects – Glasgow, Scotland – Further education college, education

– Saunders Centre, Science & Technology Building Page \ Park Architects – Glasgow, Scotland – Independent private school, education

– Murphy House Edinburgh, Scotland by Richard Murphy Architects – Edinburgh, Scotland – Single dwelling, residential

RIBA National Award Winners 2016

University of Glasgow Teaching Hub
23 Jun – The University of Glasgow has submitted proposals designed by HLM Architects and WSP Parsons Binckerhoff for a Learning & Teaching Hub on its Gilmorehill campus.

Glasgow Botanic Gardens Townhouses
23 Jun – Stallan-Brand Architects have drafted proposals for a quartet of town houses on Glasgow’s Botanic Crescent Lane on behalf of Exchange Court Properties.

Largs Campus Building Design
Largs Campus Building
22 Jun – Contracts have been signed and formal financial close has been achieved on the new Largs Campus in North Ayrshire.
The new facility will amalgamate the existing St. Mary’s Primary, Brisbane Primary and Kelburn Primary and will also include Largs Academy, accommodating 1200 secondary pupils, 820 primary pupils and a 100 place early years nursery.
The £44 m campus will be provided by North Ayrshire Council through the Scotland’s Schools for the Future programme, managed by the Scottish Futures Trust (SFT). The project will be delivered by hub South West Scotland via a Design, Build, Finance and Maintain contract (DBFM). Constractors are Morrison Construction.

Awards for Dick Cannon and Tom Elder
22 Jun – Tom Elder and Dick Cannon, who together founded Elder and Cannon Architects, have been presented with lifetime achievement awards by the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland. Honouring architects who have made an outstanding contribution to architecture in Scotland, the award was Lifetime Achievement Award handed to the duo during the annual RIAS Awards Dinner in Glasgow on Wednesday night.

Aberdeen Hospital Site
22 Jun – A full planning application has been lodged for the revitalisation of the Woolmanhill Hospital site in Aberdeen by developer Charlie Ferrari. The rejuvenated public space at the heart of the project would be named Central Square. The proposal for the Woolmanhill site includes a 52-bedroom boutique hotel, 27 serviced suites, 30 residential apartments and 10 affordable homes, along with the focal central square.

Barony North Church Event
Free event on 24 June at Glasgow Evangelical Church (formerly Barony North Church) – 20 Cathedral Square, Glasgow
Pidgin Perfect would like to invite you to explore Glasgow Evangelical Church (formerly Barony North Church), designed by John Honeyman and the Cathedral District with a range of speakers, site walks and contextual explorations of the Cathedral district.
The focus of the site visit and seminar is to give a greater insight into the building and recognise its architectural importance and the social and religious context of the surroundings.

Irvine Mental Health Facility
21 Jun – The IBI Group have unveiled a £46m mental health and community facility in Irvine, Ayrshire, following handover of the build by Balfour Beatty. Woodland View offers a range of mental health.

Anniesland Office Building Conversion
Anniesland Office Building Conversion
21 Jun – Holmes Miller Architects and Mactaggart & Mickel win approval to convert a redundant 1970’s office block on Herschell Street, Anniesland, to form 48 apartments.

RIAS Garden Centenary Competition

Chartered RIAS members (or teams including a Chartered member) are invited to submit designs for the RIAS Centenary garden competition.

The RIAS’ sub-basement meeting room, the Garden Room, now opens directly into the enclosed (below road level) rear garden at 15 Rutland Square. A new exit stair to Canning Street has also been installed.

The RIAS garden, a pleasant sun-trap, has the potential to be a place to sit out or a venue for informal meetings and gatherings. It has been cleared, prior to a new, appropriate garden design. Key considerations would include the provision of level sitting/gathering space, low maintenance planting, screening of the metal exit stair and a sheltered area. Loose garden furniture (i.e. not built-in) may be indicated but will be purchased separately. The total budget, inclusive of fees, is £10,000 (ex VAT).

The deadline for this competition is noon on Monday 11th July. Those wishing to register and receive the brief for the competition should notify Carol-Ann Hildersley on [email protected] by Friday 24th June 2016.

A House and Grounds for an Art Collector

As part of their contribution to the Festival of Architecture 2016, the Landscape Institute Scotland are holding a design competition for a new house and grounds for an art collector in the Scottish countryside. Entries will be teams of landscape architects and architects and the competition promises to be an excellent chance to explore and experience the benefits of these two professions working together in collaboration. The competition is hypothetical and is based on an occupied site in Perthshire, Scotland.

Participants can register through Eventbrite.

http://scotland.landscapeinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/LIS_FOA2016-Competition-Brief_20150531.pdf

Johnstone Masterplan
17 Jun – A public consultation has been held in this Renfrewshire town outlining proposals for a supermarket, pub, drive-through restaurant, twenty homes, a car park and a community woodland.

RIAS Awards 2016 Winners
16 Jun – 11 winners of the 2016 awards for the best in current Scottish architecture announced by the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS).
Projects ranging from major business hubs to isolated look-out points and innovative houses were honoured at the RIAS’ Centenary and Awards Dinner held in Glasgow.

Saltire Society Housing Design Awards 2016 Winners
16 Jun – The shortlists for all five award categories in this year’s Saltire Society Housing Design Awards have been announced ahead of the annual awards ceremony at the end of June.
This year’s awards ceremony will take place on Thursday 30 June at the Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation. The event will feature a special ‘Test of Time’ discussion as part of the Saltire Society’s 80th anniversary celebrations as well as marking 2016 as Scotland’s official Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design.

Maryhill Residential School Extension
East Park school extension building
14 Jun – Work to deliver a new extension to an existing residential school at Maryhill is nearing completion with the charity behind the plans seeking additional funding to complete the build.
East Park School extension was designed and delivered by Threesixty Architecture – based on an original concept design by Alan Dunlop for the residential blocks.

Inverness Modular Building
Inverness Modular Building
14 Jun – Glasgow’s Keppie Design has completed a £1m modular timber extension of the Kingsmill Hotel, Inverness, in collaboration with Carbon Dynamics.

Trongate Apartments
Trongate apartments
10 Jun – Glasgow City Council planners approve demolition and façade retention of Grade B-listed 137-143 Trongate to allow construction of 69 studio apartments.

St Enoch Centre News
10 Jun – A pre-planning consultation has been launched for the creation of a new cinema and restaurants at the eastern end of the St Enoch Centre, Glasgow, in place of the current BHS store.

Collective Architecture Edinburgh Office
10 Jun – Glasgow architects Collective Architecture has responded to a growing portfolio of work on the Scotland’s east coast with the launch of a new Edinburgh office. The new architects studio will operate as a complimentary space to the practice’s Glasgow head office and will be responsible for overseeing work in Leith, Dundee, Galashiels and Edinburgh, plus assists expansion across the North of England and London.

Outline Planning Application for University of Glasgow £1bn Campus
Glasgow University New Campus
8 Jun – Outline planning application submitted for the University of Glasgow’s plans to transform the former Western Infirmary site. A wide range of uses is proposed, including teaching and research buildings, shops, restaurants, bars, cafes, hotels, sport and recreation facilities, a day nursery and crèche and residential or student flats.

University of Glasgow Campus Expansion

Queensferry Crossing Delayed
Queensferry Crossing Scotland
8 Jun – The new £1.4 billion Queensferry Crossing will not open until June 2017, six months later than planned, the infrastructure secretary admitted today.

Stuart MacDonald
7 Jun – Former director of arts venue The Lighthouse in Glasgow, Stuart MacDonald, has died aged 67, reports the Architect’s Journal.

Scottish Architecture News

Govanhill Baths
Govanhill Baths Glasgow building
photo © Tom Manley

7 Jun – Architects have revealed the first images of the final £4.1m refurbishment plans for Govanhill Baths in Glasgow.

After 15 years of campaigning, the Govanhill Baths Community Trust has secured enough funding to reopen the Baths as a working swimming and wellbeing centre.

Govanhill Baths in Glasgow

Keppie Close Offices
7 Jun – architecture practice Keppie Design is to close studios in Aberdeen, Perth and Manchester in order to “dramatically reduce” its costs.

The architects practice, which posted a £528k pre-tax loss to 31 July 2015, said 25 jobs were at risk of redundancy and is consulting with those affected.

Offices in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Inverness are unaffected.

Keppie is behind the design of the new Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre (AECC) though a spokeswoman for the company insisted there was “absolutely no impact at all on the AECC project as this is – and always has been – run from Keppie’s Glasgow office”.

Two New Trustees for Scottish Civic Trust Board
7 Jun – The Scottish Civic Trust is delighted to announce the appointment of two new trustees to the Board – architects Fiona Sinclair and Ed Taylor.

Fiona is a Fellow of the Royal Incorporation of Architects, Past-President of the Glasgow Institute of Architects and has particular expertise in the creative re-use, repair and restoration of historic buildings where she has many years of experience in projects across Scotland. Fiona has also been a Scottish Civic Trust My Place Awards judge since 2011.

Ed is a chartered architect and urban designer. As The Prince’s Foundation for Building Community’s Representative in Scotland for almost 10 years, Ed represented the charity at the highest level and led a diverse programme of education, advocacy and skills, regeneration and masterplanning, typically employing a consensus-building process known as Enquiry by Design (devised by The Prince’s Foundation). Ed set up his own practice, Taylor Architecture & Urbanism in 2015.

Queens QuayDevelopment
6 Jun – Work on the redevelopment of the former John Brown’s shipyard is set to get under way next month.
The first stage will involve remediation work in preparation for creating the road infrastructure and public spaces on the waterfront.
West Dunbartonshire Council has committed £15.62 million to the Queens Quay project to unlock the potential of the site for housing, leisure and retail opportunities.
A District Heating Scheme, which would utilise energy extracted from the river basin, is also being investigated. This could be used across the whole site and also for existing buildings such as West College Scotland and the council’s Aurora House.
Once the infrastructure works are complete, including repairs to quay walls and new basin decking along with the creation of a new road layout, the first phase of the development will be the new care home and health centre.
A mini masterplan for the Health Quarter which maps out the proposals for the care home, health centre and associated infrastructure is currently being developed to ensure it complements the rest of the site.

Built Environment Glasgow Event in June
7 June
Speakers:
Martin McKay, Executive Director of Regeneration at Clyde Gateway
Patrick Flynn, Head of Housing Services at Glasgow City Council
Ross Nimmo, Head of Planning & Development at Glasgow Airport and
Gordon Maclennan, Chief Executive at Stratchclyde Partnership for Transport
More details on our Events page

Technology and Innovation Centre
27 May – photos of this building designed by architects BDP
Technology and Innovation Centre
photograph © Adrian Welch
Technology and Innovation Centre Building

Aberdeen Nursery Building by BMJ Architects
Aberdeen Nursery building
27 May – A nursery in Aberdeen has become the first commercial project in Scotland to be accredited byPassivhaus.
Designed by BMJ Architects, the Rocking Horse Nursery at the University of Aberdeen has received Passivhaus accreditation, making it also the first nursery in the UK to be accredited.
The Glasgow architecture practice attended an event yesterday, hosted by the university, as part of Aberdeen’s May Festival, where co-founder of Passivhaus, Professor Wolfgang Feist, addressed faculty, students and members of the public on how buildings can be part of a sustainable future for us all.

Boroughmuir High School building
27 May – The first visuals of an outline concept to sympathetically restore and revitalise the historic Boroughmuir High School building in Edinburgh have been unveiled by CALA Homes – more on the Edinburgh Architecture news page.

City of Glasgow College Building
27 May – new photo from the south of the City of Glasgow College Building, due to complete this Summer:
City of Glasgow College Building
photograph © Adrian Welch
City of Glasgow College Building

Apex Hotel Building
27 May – building redeveloped as an Apex Hotel, original design by gm+ad architects:
Apex Hotel Glasgow
photograph © Adrian Welch
Apex Hotel Building

Merchant City Buildings
27 May – Daily Express Building designed by Ellis and Clark, with Sir Evan Owen Williams:
Daily Express Building Glasgow
photo © Adrian Welch
Merchant City Buildings

Strathclyde University
27 May – new photos of Strathclyde University buildings:
Strathclyde University Building
photo © Adrian Welch
Strathclyde University Buildings

Scottish Design Awards
26 May – Isabelle Lomholt of e-architect helped present awards at the event last night in the Radisson.

Page \ Park Architects won practice of the year.

The Best Building prize went to the Riverside Campus in Glasgow by Reiach and Hall and Michael Laird Architects.

The Chairman’s Award was a surprise, given to Edinburgh-based co-design studio HERE + NOW for their month-long outdoor photography exhibition in Rodney St tunnel, Canonmills, Edinburgh. “Hold Me Dear: Four Cities, [Extra]ordinary Places” held in September 2015. The designers speech was the highlight of the evening, eloquent and inspiring.

We will post the full list of architectural winners shortly.

Adrian Welch of e-architect was one of the judges.

UWS Hamilton Campus News
26 May – South Lanarkshire Council has approved plans for a new campus for the University of the West of Scotland (UWS) on the edge of Hamilton.

UWS Hamilton Campus building

The development at Hamilton International Technology Park (HITP) includes plans for state-of-the-art teaching and learning facilities for students and lecturers, sports amenities and new student accommodation.

Despite being contrary to the local development plan, the planning permission in principle for the campus was deemed justified by the local authority’s planning committee because the relocation of the university would create “significant economic benefits” and there would be no adverse impact on the Green Belt.

UWS Hamilton Campus

UWS had earlier cancelled proposals to move its Hamilton campus to the Eurocentral industrial estate on the M8 east of Glasgow following extensive consultation with the local authority, stakeholders, students and staff.

The move will also see the west side of HITP become the UWS Technology and Innovation Park, housing UWS’s research and commercial activities.

Built Environment Glasgow Event
7 June, speakers are:
Martin McKay, Executive Director of Regeneration at Clyde Gateway
Patrick Flynn, Head of Housing Services at Glasgow City Council
Ross Nimmo, Head of Planning & Development at Glasgow Airport and
Gordon Maclennan, Chief Executive at Stratchclyde Partnership for Transport
see our events page for details.

Campbeltown Spaceport
Machrihanish Airbase Spaceport
19 May – One of the front runners to host the UK’s first spaceport has declared itself “runway-ready” to support the UK government’s ambitions following the Queen’s speech yesterday.
Three Scottish airports were last year named in a shortlist of five by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to host the spaceport.
Based at the community-owned airbase near Campbeltown on the Kintyre peninsula, Discover Space UK’s Machrihanish Airbase Community Company (MACC) proposal is the only shortlisted bidder to have been twice approved for spaceflight and is the only one of the list that can meet the government’s minimum runway length for the proposed facility.
In her speech, Her Royal Highness declared support for the UK government’s bid to establish a commercial spaceport worth up to £40 billion a year to the economy by 2030.

TV and film studio facility in Cumbernauld
TV and film studio facility in Cumbernauld
17 May – Planning permission has been granted for a permanent TV and film studio facility in Cumbernauld.
North Lanarkshire Council has agreed to proposals to significantly enhance the existing production facilities at Wardpark Studios to a new facility complete with six sound stages, production offices, ancillary spaces and a back lot.
Already comprising 48,000 square feet across four sound stages, Wardpark Studios has been used for the production of the first and second series of Sony’s award-winning historical drama Outlander.

Kelvin hall Building Redevelopment News
Kelvin hall Building
16 May – The £35m transformation of Glasgow’s Kelvin Hall into one of the biggest museum and academic research centres in the UK is on target to complete by this summer and open in autumn.
Formerly home to the Museum of Transport, the facility will offer teaching and research rooms for the University of Glasgow, and vast new storage areas are being prepared to house around 1.5 million items from the Hunterian Museum, currently spread across nine separate sites. It will also provide access to the National Library of Scotland’s Moving Image Archive and digital collections.
The Phase One development will also see a health and fitness centre at the site, incorporating an eight-court, multi-purpose sports hall, a gymnastics and martial arts hall and the city’s largest fitness gym.
The project is a joint partnership between Glasgow University, the Hunterian, Glasgow Museums, the National Library of Scotland and Glasgow Club. The building redevelopment is being led by Barr Construction.

The Ideal Hut Show
12 May – info + photos of these hut designs by well known architects such as Eva Jiricna, Ian Ritchie and Malcolm Fraser.

Aberdeen FC Relocation Plans
12 May – Aberdeen Football Club has revealed plans for a new £40m stadium and training facility at Kingsford near Westhill with earlier plans to move to Loirston now abandoned.

RIBA International Awards Longlist
11 May – Longlist of 30 buildings for the new global architecture awards and the International Emerging Architect Prize.

Heathrow Airport Hub of the Future Shortlist
11 May – Heathrow names four architecture practices on shortlist for a ’hub airport of the future’ concept as part of its expansion plans.

Art Fund Museum of the Year
10 May – Five brilliant, innovative UK museums have been shortlisted for the Art Fund Prize for Museum of the Year 2016, including Jupiter Artland in West Lothian.

Glasgow School of Art Fire
6 May – A fire broke out at Glasgow School of Art last night.
The blaze started in the kitchen of the college’s Reid Building on Renfrew Street at around 7.50pm.
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service sent appliances from Cowacaddens and Maryhill after receiving a call that smoke was coming out of a kitchen.
It is understood students within the building were evacuated.

A spokesman for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said it was a small fire and it was exstinguished when they arrived by a sprinkler system.
Source: http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/14475875.Firefighters_attend_blaze_at_Glasgow_School_of_Art/

Page\Park Church Redevelopment
6 May – Glasgow architects Page\Park have tabled proposals for the conversion and extension of Old Carntyne Church, Shettleston, to form accommodation for the elderly.
Forming part of an existing sheltered housing complex owned by Shettleston Housing Association the 19 flat scheme will involve creration of a new build element on the site of the former church hall, demolished in 2014.

EAA Awards Winners
6 May – The Edinburgh Architectural Association Awards were announced and presented at a drinks reception in the Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation. The EAA Building of the Year Award for 2016 went to Murphy House by Richard Murphy Architects.

India Quay Development
6 May – Multi-million pound regeneration plans to transform an old Edinburgh brewery site into a thriving canal side community will go on show at an upcoming information event.
The EDI Group Ltd is inviting residents to an information event on Tuesday 10 May, from 3pm to 8pm, at Akva, 129 Fountainbridge, to present its updated plans to build 438 new homes as part of its long-term redevelopment of the former McEwan’s brewery site.

Controversial Giant See-Saw
The Gathering Place giant see-saw proposal on the River Ness
images : Handout
4 May – The chairman of Inverness City Arts group has quit in a row about a giant see-saw-like art installation proposed for a bank of the River Ness, reports the BBC. The councillor said he did not believe The Gathering Place to be a viable concept. About 200 people have opposed it in a public consultation. A child-friendly water feature and a project called River Connections, which involves seating areas and poetry set into stones have also been proposed for locations next to the Ness in Inverness. The public art would form part of the River Ness Flood Alleviation Scheme.

Belleisle Clubhouse Building
4 May – A £1.5m clubhouse has opened in Ayr, South Lanarkshire. Designed by ARPL Architects and delivered by 3B Construction on behalf of South Ayrshire Council it offers a range of facilities including changing rooms, a shop, club rooms, lounge and golf simulator.

Glasgow City Centre District Regeneration Frameworks
MVRDV and Austin-Smith:Lord to lead regeneration of Glasgow’s City Centre Districts
District Regeneration Frameworks Glasgow Broomielaw Austin-Smith:Lord
3 + 2 May – Glasgow City Council have appointed a team led by MVRDV and Austin-Smith:Lord, supported by Space Syntax and a multidisciplinary team, to embark on the design of District Regeneration Frameworks for four districts of Glasgow City Centre. These Regeneration Frameworks will look to create a clear urban structure to realise Glasgow’s economic, cultural and social potential.

MVRDV are one of the world’s most celebrated architects – this is major news for the city!

Glasgow City Centre District Regeneration Frameworks

How is technology changing the way we work and build?
3 May – RIBAJ and Schueco Seminar as an assorted panel of well-known architects, consultants and clients discuss how the industry can better utilise the new tools at its disposal.

Join fellow architects at this special RIBAJ and Schueco Seminar Series to explore the challenges and opportunities being created by new technologies and BIM. A panel of architects, consultants and clients discuss how the industry can and should better utilise the new tools at its disposal.

Topic areas:
Collaboration in the digital world
– How can you best minimise the risk in the supply chain?
– What are the new skills all “craftsmen” need to learn?
Changing the way we design and build
– What is the potential for this and the impact on the buildings we design?
– Is there a new digital culture in architecture?
Getting the most out of digital technologies
– How can we harness the tech to gain competitive advantage?
– What are the real business benefits?
See the events page for further details

Edinburgh School Building Checks
3 May – The City of Edinburgh Council will appoint independent experts to check that the city’s schools are safe to reopen.

Best 100 Buildings in Scotland Publication
2 May – A new book documenting the best 100 buildings in Scotland over the past 100 years has been launched as voting opens for the public to choose their favourite.

Scotstyle – Building the Century Exhibition
2 May – The RIAS’ nationwide touring exhibition of Scotstyle – Building the Century premiered at the Falkirk Wheel, marking the start of a tour throughout Scotland. Vote for your favourite Scottish building of the past 100 years by visiting www.foa2016.com/scotstyle

The Ideal Hut Show Launch
30 Apr – The Ideal Hut Show is launched. This touring exhibition features standard garden sheds transformed by leading architects and artists. For venues, dates and times visit www.foa2016.com

FOA 2016 Events
Festival of Architecture events across Scotland:
– REFLECTIONS : glass : water : art : science
30 April – 8 May in Selkirk
– Haiku the Noo: Architecture and the Space in between:
1 May – 18th Sept, Glasgow
– Guerilla Lighting – Training:
17 + 18 May, Findhorn
– Traditional Building Skills – Masonry:
18 May, Lanark
– The Vital Art:
19 – 28 May: Glasgow
– Building Blocks:
21 May – 18 June, Inverness
– William Leiper Exhibition:
26 May – 28 August, Glasgow

‘Back to the City’ Conference
'Back to the City' Conference at the GSA
On 12 May 1976, Secretary of State for Scotland Bruce Millan announced the cancellation of the plans to expand the village of Stonehouse outside Glasgow into a new town with 40,000 inhabitants, and the redirection of the corresponding funds to the Glasgow Eastern Area Renewal (GEAR):
Mackintosh School of Architecture Conference

536 student bedrooms at Kennedy Street
29 Apr – Balfour Beatty has raised the revenue to fund its development of 536 student bedrooms at Kennedy Street, Glasgow, designed by Oberlanders. The courtyard scheme varies in scale from six storey flatted elements to two storey mews houses.

Eolas Travelling Pavilion: Glasgow Collective
Eolas Travelling Pavilion
28 Apr – This traveling pavilion aspires to promote the Festival of Architecture 2016 and to travel to all areas of the Glasgow Chapter, but more importantly reach as much people as possible from all different backgrounds. The GIA functional brief for the pavilion was simple: a place where things can happen, but it should be also able to provide essential information about the events, exhibitions, and a mobile architectural salon.
Eolas Travelling Pavilion: Glasgow Collective

BRE Innovation Park
27 Apr – BRE has launched the final phase of its innovation park at Ravenscraig.
Students from New College Lanarkshire are actively involved with the Curriculum House which is the first ‘live’ higher level educational project of its kind in the UK.
The team attached cladding to the demonstration home which BRE said “offers a fresh, unique and youthful take on how homes for the future should look, feel and perform for the benefit of people, the environment and the economy”.

Architectural guide to Highland Coastline
27 Apr – An architectural guide to the Highland coastline has been produced to document 48 structures from the Kylesku Bridge to Culloden Visitor Centre along Britain’s northernmost extremity.

Danger of Airtight Homes
26 Apr – New airtight homes can expose inhabitants to harmful levels of pollutants unless they are properly ventilated, experts have found.
Specialists at the Mackintosh Environmental Research Unit (MEARU) at the Glasgow School of Art found that modern homes can causes a build-up of harmful chemicals and moisture if householders do not open windows or vents.
Professor Tim Sharpe, head of the MEARU, said: “Poor indoor air quality, particularly in bedrooms, is hard for people to detect.

St Columba’s School Expansion
26 Apr – An expansion of the St Columba’s independent school, Inverclyde, is on track for completion this September with the conversion of two villas to form 13 classrooms.

GIA Alexander Thomson Scholarship Winner
25 Apr – Yulian Manev has emerged as the unanimous choice for the Alexander Thomson Scholarship 2016 following a Glasgow Institute of Architects administered competition.

Glasgow School of Art Article
25 Apr – Article about The Mac renewal by Page\Park, the architects trying to restore Mackintosh’s Library to its former glory:
“As an architect working on a much-beloved predecessor’s work, does the team at Page\Park find itself asking the question, “What would Mackintosh have done?” when it comes to building for the future? “The question arises in the studio here at least once a week as we work through all aspects of detail,” says Park. “And our experience of working on several other Mackintosh Buildings; my role as a past convert of the Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society and my recent involvement in surveying 22 Mackintosh buildings, interiors and monuments feeds that ‘getting-into-the-head-of’ aspiration. And David Page has also, quite separately, read and researched on Mackintosh for many years”.”
Glasgow School of Art Renewal

Glasgow School of Art Campus Development Plans
Stow College Building
photo Courtesy of Glasgow Kelvin College
22 Apr – Glasgow School of Art unveils major campus development plans:

· Restored Mackintosh Building returns as heart of expanded Garnethill campus.

· The Mackintosh Building to return to its original academic configuration as home for all first year students

· The GSA to extend campus to include the former Stow College site.

· Stow Building to be refurbished imaginatively, and bring together all pathways in the School of Fine Art in one building for the first time in over 50 years. BDP appointed as project architects

Glasgow School of Art Campus Development Plans

Bennetts Associates Glasgow Office Refurbishment
22 Apr – Bennetts Associates have completed a £2.3m refurbishment of a post-modern office block at 100 West George Street, Glasgow, on behalf of Whiteburn and London & Scottish investments.

Park Quadrant German Objection
The German government has objected to plans for 98 homes at Park Quadrant in the West End of Glasgow, branding them “inappropriate” and “clumsy”.

A planning application for the £35m project was lodged last month by Leeds-based developer Expresso Property, which acquired the land overlooking Kelvingrove Park from Glasgow City Council for £6.2m.

In a letter to Glasgow City on behalf of the German government, the German consul general in Scotland, Jens-Peter Voss, claimed that the building work would impact on diplomatic functions at the neighbouring Goethe Institute, Germany’s cultural institute in Scotland.

St Peter’s School Housing in Partick
St Peter’s School Housing in Partick
20 Apr – Collective Architecture submit Planning Application for Conversion and New Build housing development of St Peter’s School, Partick
t Peter’s School Housing in Partick – £8m redevelopment on Chancellor Street to provide a mix of 1-3 bed homes.

Riverside Campus Wins RICS Design Innovation Award
20 Apr – The principal of City of Glasgow College has spoken of his delight after the Riverside Campus scooped the top prize for Design through Innovation at this year’s RICS Awards in Scotland.

Anniesland Flats
18 Apr – A proposal to build 61 homes at Spencer Street, Anniesland, designed by CRGP architects has proved controversial with locals. The development is by AS Homes, Sanctuary Scotland and OCS Group.

Milngavie Steading Conversion
15 Apr – Elder & Cannon Architects have drawn up plans to convert and extend a farm steading in Milngavie, East Dunbartonshire, to form eight homes on behalf of Andrew Bell and Bankell Developments.

Centre for Scottish War Blinded in Paisley
Centre for Scottish War Blinded in Paisley

15 Apr – Construction work on a new Centre for Scottish War Blinded in Paisley is to begin next month. The centre is the second to be designed by architects at Page\Park following on from the award winning centre at Linburn, West Lothian, completed in 2012.
Beginning on site in mid-May, the new centre will include an art, crafts and woodwork studio; rehabilitation and mobility support; an IT suite; specialist tuition; sports, including a fully equipped gym, and a bowling green as well as an independent living skills kitchen, where cookery courses will be run for all abilities.

Fellow charity Royal Blind will be constructing a care home for visually impaired older people on the same site but in a different building, presenting opportunities for shared facilities and connections.

With 54 en-suite bedrooms, the new care home will be bright and airy with open space and access to the outdoors. The lay-out of the building and lighting will be designed to meet the needs of people with visual impairment.

Johnstone Town Hall News
15 Apr – Johnstone Town Hall in Renfrewshire has received the coveted Project of the Year Award at theRICS Scotland Awards 2016.

The town hall is an iconic £14.5 million modern facility delivering integrated services for the community and was also recognised for its positive impact in local area taking the Community Benefit category award.

Johnstone Town Hall:
Johnstone Town Hall

Back to the City Conference
15 Apr – keynote speakers include: Sjoerd Soeters, Piers Gough, Theodor Winters and Kathleen James-Chakraborty
CZWG: Crown Street Regeneration Project Masterplan
Back to the City, conference by the Mackintosh School of Architecture at The Glasgow School of Art.
The conference, which brings together international speakers from academia and practice, will take place in the Reid Building at the GSA on 5 & 6 May 2016.
Back to the City Conference

Argyll Schools Repairs
14 Apr – Two schools in Argyll and Bute are in need of repairs after the local authority conducted checks following closure of 17 schools in Edinburgh.

ABC Schools, which is responsible for the maintenance of the region’s schools, is carrying out repairs on the Rothesay Joint Campus and Oban Joint Primary Campus.

The works are due to be completed before the schools return from the Easter break on Monday.

Both schools were built by Barr Construction, which has since merged with McLaughlin & Harvey.

Moxy Hotel
13 Apr – Vastint, the property arm of IKEA, has staged a public consultation into a proposed 180 bed Moxy hotel at Collegelands, Glasgow.

Contractual Liability for Closed Edinburgh Schools
13 + 12 Apr – Galliford Try has confirmed that it inherited “contractual responsibility” for four of the 17 schools closed in Edinburgh over structural safety fears when it acquired Miller Construction.

The City of Edinburgh Council ordered the closure of the schools last Friday after the private consortium behind the construction and maintenance of the schools, the Edinburgh Schools Partnership (ESP), admitted that it cannot guarantee the safety the buildings.

More on the Edinburgh Architecture website’s news page.

University of Glasgow £1bn Campus
13 + 12 Apr – The University of Glasgow has taken possession of the former Western Infirmary site paving the way for the proposed £1 billion investment in the Gilmorehill campus.

Glasgow University New Campus

The campus project, one of the biggest education developments in Scotland, will see an estimated investment of £1 billion over 10 years – higher than the public investment in the 2014 Commonwealth Games. It is anticipated that 2,500 jobs will be created during the construction period.

Faithful+Gould has been appointed as programme and project manager overseeing the provision of six academic buildings, forming a ‘smart campus’ with integrated technology and the development of a new civic square.

University of Glasgow Campus Buildings

Govanhill Baths Building Restoration
8 Apr – Hall Black Douglas Architects along with engineer Arup has been appointed to the refurbishment project to transform the Edwardian Govanhill bathhouse in Glasgow into a ‘community wellbeing centre’.
This phase of the refurbishment will see the whole building repaired and the reinstatement of two of the three swimming pools, saunas and Turkish baths and fitness suite.
Funding has allowed the Govanhill Baths Community Trust (GBCT) to move ahead with its plans after a 15-year campaign against the council’s decision to close the building in 2001.
Arup will work with Hall Black Douglas and Govanhill Baths Community Trust, providing structural, mechanical, electrical, and public health engineering services.
Alastair Coey Architects will act as conservation specialists, drawing up a conservation management plan and coordinating specification of the restoration works.

West End Residential
West End Residential for NOAH by Hoskins Architects
7 Apr – An innovative new residential development designed by Hoskins Architects in the heart of Glasgow’s West End is quickly taking shape with sections of the homes delivered to site this week.

Developed by NOAH and built by Glasgow construction and manufacturing company CCG, Hillside Gardens Lane offers six contemporary townhouses to complement the surrounding Victorian architecture.

The development will include landscaped gardens, conserve existing historical features of the adjacent Partickhill Bowling Club whilst also renovating and enhancing the clubhouse.

Holmes Miller Director Tim Gray – GIA President
Tim Gray

7 Apr – last Thursday evening, at The Glasgow Institute of Architects (GIA) 2016 AGM, Holmes Miller director Tim Gray assumed the mantle of GIA President for the next two years.

Isabel Garriga

Tim was joined by his colleague Isabel Garriga, who will be Vice-President during his tenure and is the GIA convenor for the RIAS’s Festival of Architecture 2016.

Scottish Regeneration Company Appoints New Managing Director
7 Apr – Susan Hallsworth takes the reigns as firm continues to expand

Susan Hallsworth has been appointed as Managing Director for the growing specialist regeneration company Urban Union.

Taking up the post this month, she brings over 15 years’ experience in the industry, specifically for companies who specialise in regeneration and public and private housing developments.

Susan Hallsworth, Urban Union MD

Previously Susan held various senior positions with timber homes specialist and developer R.House Ltd, property and construction consultancy Pick Everard, maber architects, and as Director of a regional regeneration agency which focused on delivering sustainable communities.

Latterly Susan has been working as a consultant to NVA supporting senior management to deliver one of the largest arts-led regeneration schemes in Scotland.

Susan will now lead Urban Union as the company continues to deliver ongoing large-scale regeneration projects across Scotland, including significant award-winning housing developments currently underway at Laurieston in Glasgow and Pennywell in Edinburgh, as well as Muirton, Perth which is set to launch in summer 2016.

Urban Union has significantly evolved since its formation in 2011. This appointment marks the next stage of growth for the company – which is a partnership of two renowned Scottish companies McTaggart Construction and Robertson Group Holdings – as it continues in its ambition to create quality homes and communities throughout Scotland.

Gary Climson of McTaggart Construction said: “Susan will be another excellent addition to the business and we all look forward to working with her to further develop Urban Union.”

Derek Shewan of Robertson Group Holdings added: “Susan brings a wealth of knowledge in housing, growth, regeneration and extensive experience in setting standards for and delivering sustainable communities and development, all of which is vital for us as we continue our ambitious plans for Urban Union.”

Commenting on her new role Susan said: “Urban Union has an admirable ethos to build communities as well as homes. The company is going from strength to strength and this is an exciting time to join the business, with three large-scale developments underway and more opportunities in the pipeline.

“I look forward to utilising the skills I have gained in my previous roles to develop the business further.”

Susan Hallsworth, Urban Union

Urban Union
Urban Union is a unique partnership formed by McTaggart Construction and Robertson Group Holdings to specifically deliver large-scale regeneration projects. Both partners have a proven track record in delivering mixed tenure projects and working to deliver ‘community benefits in procurement’ in Glasgow, Edinburgh and further afield.

Urban Union is currently delivering two large-scale regeneration projects – Laurieston Living, Glasgow and Pennywell Living, Edinburgh. The consortium supports the priority given to targeted recruitment, training and supply chain opportunities presented by the Pennywell project. Both Urban Union partners have extensive regeneration experience and share a common view on social responsibility.

Laurieston is a £100 million regeneration project in the Gorbals area of Glasgow and is one of eight Glasgow City Council priority Transformational Regeneration Areas (TRAs). It recently unveiled the first phase of the project – the £24 million development of 201 homes, built by Urban Union for New Gorbals Housing Association.
www.lauriestonliving.co.uk

Pennywell is part of the City of Edinburgh Council’s ambitious 21st Century Homes project, which aims to create high quality social housing by developing brownfield sites across the capital and is one of Scotland’s largest housing-led regeneration projects. It is set to provide over 700 homes for private sale as well as social and mid-market rent. The extensive development is a result of a major investment of £42 million by the City of Edinburgh Council and includes £7.9 million grant funding from the Scottish Government.
www.pennywellliving.co.uk

Scottish Design Awards 2016
6 Apr – The The Drum Scottish Design Awards have been awarding the best architecture in Scotland for well over a decade, please see this year’s nominations.

Homes for Scotland Awards Shortlist
Trade body Homes for Scotland has announced the shortlist for Scotland’s premier industry awards as the organisation prepares for its largest ever celebration of the sector’s achievements:
Homes for Scotland Awards

Holmes Miller News
5 + 4 Apr – Tim Gray and Mark Ellson have been promoted to the role of director at Holmes Miller. They have shown outstanding design talent, enthusiasm and noteworthy experience in delivering successful projects for the Glasgow-based architectural practice.

Vision In Business for the Environment of Scotland Awards
The Vision In Business for the Environment of Scotland (VIBES) Awards promotes sustainability and resource efficiency in business, open for all Scottish businesses: applications open from 21st April.
http://www.vibes.org.uk/

Scottish Awards for Quality in Planning Awards
The Scottish Government announce that the SAQP has been enhanced and streamlined, together with the introduction of two new exciting Awards, celebrating the Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design 2016. They are for Personal Achievement in Planning and a People’s Choice Award.
Nominations close on 20th May 2016.

Riverside Museum Zaha Hadid Glasgow Tribute
4 Apr – A projection beamed on to the Zaha Hadid designed Glasgow Riverside Museum pays tribute to the pioneering architect who has passed away. The projection was arranged by Glasgow creative agency Frame.
Riverside Museum Zaha Hadid Glasgow Tribute
Frame’s creative director Angus Walker said: “Zaha was the wrong sex, colour and religion for the establishment at the time she started her own practice as a 23-year old. It seemed fitting that we should do something for this wrong-side-of-the-tracks talented upstart. I looked up at the stars on that bright Clyde-side night and felt grateful for all the talent and graft this city has seen whether born here or welcomed here.”

New Glasgow City College
Riverside Campus Glasgow College building
photo © Adrian Welch
1 Apr – new photos of the New Glasgow City College Riverside Campus building designed by Reiach and Hall Architects and Michael Laird Architects.

Shawlands Cross Civic Square
Shawlands Cross Civic Square
1 Apr – Plans have been submitted for a new civic square in Glasgow’s south side, The Herald has reported. The new Shawlands Cross Civic Square is expected to host a range of markets and events by next May and has been promoted by Glasgow City Council as “a key attraction on the gateway to the city centre and Southside destinations”.
The move is part of a £3 million-plus scheme for the district, which is popular with young families and professionals, and will see Queens Park effectively extended onto one of the city’s key junctions.
It was also see trees removed to bring the A-listed Langside Halls onto the square, which will be furnished with seating, ambient lighting and fountains.

University of Glasgow’s Gilmorehill Campus News
1 Apr – Faithful+Gould (F+G) appointed as programme and project manager for the 10-year, £1 billion expansion of the University of Glasgow’s Gilmorehill Campus.
The £1billion masterplan, for the creation of a new campus for the University of Glasgow on the site of the former Western Infirmary, is believed to currently be the biggest procurement project in Britain, with an investment greater than that for the regeneration of Glasgow for the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Scape Construction Framework
1 Apr – Scape Group has published details of its new National Construction framework for major public sector construction projects of more than £2 million.
The new framework is anticipated to hold an upper value of £5.5 billion and will offer five options to the public sector, including a regional option for Scottish projects with a total framework value of £500m.

Argyll and Bute Schools
1 Apr – A £60m scheme to build new secondary schools in Campbeltown and Oban is set to start construction in July after the contract with project partners was signed last week.

Oban High School building:
Oban High School building

The new schools will be built next to the existing ones, with pupils then moving into the new buildings and the old ones being demolished to make way for playing fields, social spaces and car parking.
The projects are being delivered by Argyll and Bute Council in partnership with hub North Scotland, which includes Morrison Construction, and the Scottish Futures Trust through the Scottish Government’s Schools for the Future Programme.

Remembering Zaha Hadid Architect, 1950-2016
Glasgow Riverside Museum building
photo © Keith Hunter

31 Mar 2016 – It is with great sadness that Zaha Hadid Architects have confirmed that Dame Zaha Hadid, DBE died suddenly in Miami in the early hours of this morning. She had contracted bronchitis earlier this week and suffered a sudden heart attack while being treated in hospital.

Riverside Museum building Glasgow aerial
photograph : Hawkeye Aerial Photography

ZHA’s key building in the city was Riverside Museum, previously known as the Museum of Transport Glasgow.

She was also responsible for the Maggie’s Fife building at Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy.

St Kilda Visitor Centre Building
30 Mar – A partnership comprising Dualchas Architects and Reuilf Ramstad Architects of Norway are to collaborate on the design of a St Kilda visitor centre on the Isle of Harris. Backed by Highlands and Islands Enterprise and managed by Ionad Hiort, a charitable company, the project will raise awareness of the UNESCO world heritage site through the display of island artefacts and interpretation displays.

Scottish Architectural Tourism Initiative
29 Mar – Scotland’s Churches Trust is celebrating the rich architectural legacy of the country through a new tourism initiative designed to encourage visitors to retrace the routes of past pilgrims.

Citizens Theatre Planning Approval
Citizens Theatre Glasgow expansion
25 Mar – Redevelopment plans for Citizens Theatre granted planning consent.

Scotland’s Oldest Theatre
28 Mar – Scotland’s oldest theatre has had a £1.5m upgrade and expansion designed by ARPL Architects. Dumfries’ Theatre Royal was built in 1792.

Glasgow School of Art Research Week Events
25 Mar – GSA unveils Research Week events including The Mackintosh Library: Reflection, Recovery, Restoration, and Research
• Public also get rare chance to see the recently released 3d visualisations of “the Mack” on the mammoth screen in Lab 1 at the DDS
• Two leading international voices on urbanism (Brian Evans, GSA and Jim Stockard, Harvard) engage in the social housing debate
• MEARU unveils latest initiative to help to improve understanding of the need to ventilate particularly in new-build housing.
Glasgow School of Art Research Week Events

RIAS Awards / RIBA Awards for Scotland 2016
24 Mar – The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland has announced a 23 strong shortlist for its 2016 awards. The judging panel for this year, chaired by Willie Watt PRIAS, also includes Denise Bennetts FRIAS (representing the Royal Institute of British Architects), Alan Jones PPRSUA Hon FRIAS, Andy Leitch (Forestry Commission Scotland) and Stuart McKill.

Lanarkshire Beatson
Lanarkshire Beatson Monklands Hospital
23 Mar – Located at Monklands Hospital in Airdrie, the new treatment centre designed by Keppie architects is now up and running, welcoming patients to this satellite of the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Care Centre based at Gartnavel Hospital in Glasgow:
Lanarkshire Beatson at Monklands Hospital

Cardross Seminary Funding News
23 Mar – A plan to transform the derelict St Peter’s Seminary in Cardross into a unique arts venue and heritage destination has today been awarded £4.2 million of funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and Creative Scotland.
St Peter’s Seminary Renewal Funding

Scottish Civic Trust My Place Awards for 2016
22 Mar – A new community facility and visitor centre, designed by Shauna Cameron Architect, on the Isle of Luing, one of Scotland’s slate islands in Argyll and Bute has won the Scottish Civic Trust My Place Awards 2016. The awards were presented on Tuesday 22nd March at The Lighthouse in Glasgow.

Queens Quay Masterplan News
Queens Quay Masterplan
22 Mar – The Queens Quay in Clydebank masterplan will be presented to West Dunbartonshire Council on Wednesday.
Detailed proposals have been put forward to planners outlining the vision for transforming the former John Brown’s shipyard, which has lain derelict for years.

Queens Quay Titan Glasgow
The plans for the 23 hectare site – which will take more than 10 years to fully complete – include significant residential development; retail, commercial and leisure areas; and a health and care quarter.
In addition, extensive civic and open space would be provided around the former fitting-out basin and along the riverside.
The first phase will see essential infrastructure works carried out, including repairs to quay walls and the creation of a new road layout.
Two new streets – provisionally called Titan Boulevard and Titan View – would be created to provide better access to the site, while a new cycle route is also proposed.

Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson Society Lecture Series
This took place on Wednesday 23 March
Professor Dean Hawkes – Sigurd Lewerentz – Northern Light
Venue: Bourdon Lecture Theatre, Bourdon Building, Glasgow School of Art

Perth Theatre Building Restoration
22 Mar – The restoration and redevelopment of Perth Theatre has started on site.
Project contractors Robertson Construction Tayside will be on site to carry out enabling works, which will include stripping out existing buildings and preparing to demolish sections to make way for the new extension. Completion is due in 2017.

Hinterland at St Peter’s Seminary
Cardross Seminary
21 + 20 + 19 + 18 Mar – So we enjoyed our evening visit to Hinterland at St Peter’s Seminary, but felt slightly underwhelmed…..

Amidst the stunning, brutal, Modern architecture of St Peter’s Seminary, audiences will discover aspects of the degraded building highlighted and animated through light installations, projection and sound elements. Comments and reports welcome this weekend.

RIAS Council Elections Nominations
There are four vacant places for nationally elected Incorporation Representatives on RIAS Council for the coming session. Members of the RIAS are invited to nominate Fellows and Members of the Incorporation to fill these vacancies.
The President, Willie Watt, hopes that members from all sections of the profession and of all ages will consider standing for election. However, should there be insufficient candidates to fill the vacancies the RIAS may make its own nominations.
Nomination papers must be returned to the RIAS by 5.00pm, Thursday 7th April 2016 accompanied by the candidate’s election statement of no more than 200 words. Nominations received after 5pm on 7th April will be invalid. Voting papers will be issued by email on Friday 15th April to be returned (by e-mail, fax or post) by 5.00pm on Friday 29th April 2016. The results will be announced at the Incorporation’s AGM in Edinburgh on Friday 13th May.

Pop-up Cities Expo
Design and build competition for Edinburgh’s pop up pavilion to sit amongst others from major cities around Europe this summer.
The City of Edinburgh Council is inviting entries from Edinburgh Architectural Association members for the design and construction of a 5m x 5m plan size ‘pop up’ type pavilion which will sit on the plaza beside the national gallery: more details on the Edinburgh Architecture website’s news page.

Glasgow Hospitals Win International Property Award
Glasgow hospital building atrium
20 + 18 Mar – The Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) and the Royal Hospital for Children (RHC), as they scooped the prestigious international MIPIM award for Best Healthcare Development.
The MIPIM Awards is the highlight of an annual event held in Cannes, France that brings together over 21,000 influential property players to honour the most outstanding and accomplished global projects from around the world.
Queen Elizabeth University Hospital Glasgow Buildings

Loch Lomond Viewpoint Building
19 Mar – Located on a peninsula overlooking the UK’s largest stretch of inland water, Loch Lomond: the viewpoint by BTE Architecture takes the shape of a triangular platform and is positioned at the end of a long curved path stretching form the car park to the highest point of the peninsula.

(Re)Imagining Glasgow – Architecture Event by GIA
Premiere screening of (Re)Imagining Glasgow: Sunday 20 Mar, 3:15pm.
(Re)Imagining Glasgow
For Scotland’s Festival of Architecture 2016, the Glasgow Institute of Architects have commissioned filmmaker Chris Leslie to create a new short film. (Re)Imagining Glasgow looks at Glasgow’s regeneration over the past forty years and the pledges made by the Corporation of the City of Glasgow: more details on the events page.

City Region Deal + Funding for Buildings in Helensburgh & Dundee
17 Mar – Chancellor George Osborne has announced that a City Region Deal for Edinburgh and South East Scotland is being negotiated and pledged £10 million towards two building projects in Scotland.
Delivering his Budget to the House of Commons yesterday, the Chancellor said that fines levied from banks as a result of misconduct are to be evenly split to create a new leisure facility in Helensburgh and contribute to the fundraising campaign for the V&A Museum being built in Dundee.
The facility in Helensburgh will be available for use by the local community and by members of staff at the nearby HMNB Clyde base at Faslane.
Based on the Helensburgh Pier Head – an integral part of the town’s waterfront – the new facility will benefit local residents in the town and surrounding areas who rely heavily on the naval base for their jobs, businesses and livelihoods.

Waterloo Street Office Building
The Still office building
18 + 17 Mar – The latest addition to Glasgow’s office stock could take the form of a 14 storey block offering 100,000sqft of accommodation on Waterloo Street, following submission of a planning application by Whiteburn.
The Still would see retention of the existing B-listed building dating from the 1890’s behind which a connecting tower element would be built by Bennetts Associates.
Waterloo Street office building
Edinburgh-based property developer Whiteburn Projects hopes to receive planning consent for the project, to be known as The Still, later this year. Work would begin in 2017 with completion scheduled for 2019.

Falkirk Urban Quarter News
Falkirk Urban Quarter
17 Mar – Falkirk Council has unveiled plans to create a new, environmentally friendly urban quarter under its multi-million pound Tax Incremental Finance (TIF) initiative.
The proposed £17 m package of infrastructure works aims to stimulate a mix of business, learning and leisure development over 376 acres to regenerate the gateway eastern entrance into Falkirk and create better connections between the town centre, Grangemouth and the rest of Scotland’s Central Belt.
The council’s vision for a new urban quarter was outlined in the latest TIF report presented to the Falkirk Council Executive at a meeting held this week.

Cally Temple Restoration
16 Mar – The restoration of Cally Temple has been shortlisted for a Scottish Civic Trust My Place Award. Located in Gatehouse of Fleet in Dumfries and Galloway, the Grade B listed building was nominated for the award by the Gatehouse of Fleet Community Council, notably for the volunteer work carried out by the Gatehouse Development Initiative. The two storey building was built in 1779 and attributed to James Ramsay.

Tarbolton Community Campus
Tarbolton Community Campus
16 Mar – South Ayrshire Council is to proceed with constructing an community campus in Tarbolton designed by AHR after it signed off on an £8.2m funding package.

Glasgow Harbour Masterplan
Glasgow Harbour Masterplan design
15 Mar – Glasgow Harbour is to press ahead with the construction of 1,400 homes where the River Clyde and Kelvin meet on a 52 acre development site opposite the city’s new Transport Museum.
Glasgow Harbour Masterplan buildings
Incorporating a range of commercial, retail and leisure uses the £200m ADF Architects masterplan will include a riverfront walkway, cinema, pedestrian footbridge as well as a range of bars and restaurants. This site was once slated for a casino building.

Park Quadrant Housing
Park Quadrant Housing
14 Mar – Expresso Property has submitted revised plans for Park Quadrant, Glasgow, following a series of public consultations held around their original proposals.

Cove Park by haa design
14 Mar – Cove Park, a planned artist’s residency in Argyll, has secured in-kind funding for its interior spaces by haa design, alongside a grant from Arts & Business Scotland.

Scottish Cities Alliance at MIPIM
11 Mar – Scottish Cities Alliance is to drum up interest in Scotland’s seven cities at MIPIM by showcasing a ‘Pitch Book’ of commercial property opportunities to investors.

Prospect North Exhibition
11 Mar – An ‘immersive exhibition’ created by Lateral North, Dualchas Architects and Soluis is to headline Scotland’s contribution to this year’s Venice Architecture Biennale in Italy.

Prospect North will be on show from 26 May to 25 June at Ludoteca Santa Maria Ausiliatrice in Venice before commencing a nationwide tour of Scotland.

Collective Architecture News
10 Mar – Collective Architecture has turned their attention southwards for their latest project, a major mixed use development in North Cheam, London, on behalf of the Home Group.

East Lothian Community Hospital
10 Mar – East Lothian Council has granted planning consent for a purpose-built community hospital in Haddington.

Glasgow Development Map at MIPIM
15 Mar – A property development pipeline map of Glasgow city centre has been launched at today at the MIPIM property market event in Cannes.
The map, issued by commercial property advisors Bilfinger GVA, summarises the key opportunities in the city centre for development as well as the peripheral areas around Glasgow.
These areas are set for major improvement and economic growth under the recently announced City Deal with BGVA endorsing these proposals as well today.
Alison Taylor, head of Business Space Scotland at Bilfinger GVA, is attending MIPIM and is supporting Glasgow City Council and Invest Glasgow teams in promoting investment and development opportunities in the city.

Clyde Gateway News
Shawfield Building Glyde Gateway
14 Mar – Housing minister Margaret Burgess MSP has announced the award of an additional £3m for Clyde Gateway to support further development of vacant and derelict sites in Dalmarnock, Rutherglen and Shawfield.
Clyde Gateway, a 20-year project which started in 2008, is a partnership between Glasgow City Council, South Lanarkshire Council and Scottish Enterprise, backed by funding and support from the Scottish Government.

Sinclair Drive Building News
9 Mar – Adrian Higson Architecture design for Bapu Properties: 16 flats and a ground floor commercial unit on Sinclair Drive, Glasgow.

Aultbea Community Centre
Aultbea Community Centre
9 Mar – Approval has been gained for a £1.65m community centre designed by ThreeSixty Architecture in the small fishing village of Aultbea. This Highland building is for the Aultbea Regeneration Company.
Aultbea Community Centre interior
The project includes a multi-use sports hall, a smaller space for more intimate meetings, a café and two retail units.

Wardpark Studios Building News
Wardpark Studios Building
9 Mar – Scottish Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop announces plans are to be lodged for a permanent TV and film studio facility based in Cumbernauld. She confirmed a private investor is expected to submit a planning application to significantly enhance existing production facilities at Wardpark Studios to create a TV and film studio complete with six sound stages, production offices, ancillary spaces and a back lot.

BRE Scotland Office Design Competition
8 Mar – Clyde Gateway and BRE are launching a design competition, through a competitive PQQ and ITT process, to procure a contractor led design team to build the new flagship office for BRE Scotland.
The building would be located at Clyde Gateway, set to become Scotland’s largest business site, delivering quality business and office space. BRE Scotland’s new accommodation will be the gateway building for the Shawfield National Business District.
Once completed, the sustainable office will be an innovative demonstrator office building providing 6,000sqft of accommodation with a target of BREEAM Outstanding.
The deadline for returns to the Public Contracts Scotland (PCS) portal together with all supporting information is 18 Apr 2016 at 12 noon.

Falkirk Wheel Project
8 Mar – The Falkirk Wheel £1m programme to renew and develop new visitor experiences. The 13-year-old Wheel is to be refurbished inside and out, with the existing visitor centre, trip boats, conference rooms and activity hub refreshed with new branding, signage and interpretation celebrating the engineering behind the iconic structure. The works are due to be completed this summer.

Skye Gaelic School
Skye Gaelic School building
8 Mar – Robertson Construction awarded an £8.7m contract to build a new Gaelic primary school building in Portree on the Isle of Skye.

Skypark Expansion
new Skypark building
7 Mar – Submission of plans by Sheppard Robson architects for the Skypark business hub: 150,000sqft of grade A office space on the site of a disused office building.
Glasgow Skypark expansion

Glasgow’s Barras Market Transformation into Cultural and Events Quarter
7 Mar – The Barras market is to get a £27m funding boost in a bid to transform the area into one of Glasgow’s ‘go-to’ areas, a new report has revealed, reports Construction News Scotland.
The Glasgow City Council report has revealed plans for two new venues alongside the area’s famous Barrowland Ballroom in a bid to transform it into a cultural and events quarter.
Other potential plans include a new museum and a Barrowlands Square where artists’ work could be featured.
The report states: “These mean more opportunities for music and performance. In the wider area around the Barras, music-related outlets emphasise that music is one of the key and most popular elements emerging in the area.
“The area still lacks vibrancy when venues are closed or during the week when many businesses seem to operate from behind roller shutters, offering nothing to the street in terms of atmosphere and activity.
“Weekend markets and stalls are much quieter than they were in decades past. Few of these animate the streets of the area and there is little or no evidence of the development of cafes or coffee shops in the area.”
The funding for the ambitious plans comes as part of the £1 billion City Deal scheme announced by the Westminster and Scottish Governments to boost the west of Scotland.

Scottish Property Awards News
4 Mar – Scottish Property Awards:
Lairdsland Primary School in Kirkintilloch, 110 Queen Street Glasgow and Quartermile in Edinburgh were among the night’s big winners with prizes also presented to developments in Dumbarton, Aberdeen and Galashiels.
The ultimate award of the night was presented to Drum Property Group for the second year in a row. The Aberdeen-based developer was praised for its continued success at Prime Four and the construction and sale of Annan House in Aberdeen, a development also shortlisted in Deal of the Year.

St James Centre Demolition News
4 Mar – May 2016 start for major demolition works ahead of the £850m redevelopment of the St James Centre in Edinburgh.

Cumbernauld Housing
7 Mar – Social landlord Sanctuary Group unveils a £4.3m development of 39 new flats at Hume Road, Cumbernauld, for use by former occupants of the areas high rise tower blocks.
4 Mar – Social landlord Sanctuary Housing to develop 111 new flats to be built on the site of three recently demolished tower blocks at Allanfauld Road, Seafar.

Girvan School Building
3 Mar – JM Architects have drawn up initial designs for a £3.65m school for children with additional support needs for South Ayrshire Council.

Halliday Fraser Munro Glasgow Office
3 Mar – Halliday Fraser Munro has revealed that they are to close their Glasgow architects office in order to consolidate their central belt staff and resources in Edinburgh.

Inverclyde Building News
Inverclyde Care Home
1 Mar – A new care home in Greenock designed by Archial NORR will soon begin construction after the project reached financial close, reports Construction News Scotland.
The £8m care provision is the latest project to be delivered by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde with its development partner hub West Scotland and main contractor Morgan Sindall.

Bargeddie Building News
1 Mar – Barratt and David Wilson Homes have tabled indicative plans to construct a community health centre within Bargeddie, North Lanarkshire, as part of a bid to win permission in principle to to build up to 180 homes on 10ha of green belt designated grassland, reports Urban Realm.

CIH Scotland Conference
Prospective delegates don’t have long left to take advantage of the 10 per cent early bird discount for the CIH Scotland Conference 2016. For the first time the conference heads to Edinburgh’s EICC and will take place over two packed days in March 2016.
1-2 Mar 2016
Venue: EICC Edinburgh
More details on the Edinburgh events page.

Concrete Falls in Love Event
Professor Remo Pedreschi, from Edinburgh College of Art at the University of Edinburgh, is delighted to invite you to Concrete Falls in Love, a Geddes Fellow public lecture and drinks reception with Mark West.
2nd March 5:30pm – 6:30pm (reception from 6:30pm)
Venue: Adam House Lecture Theatre, 3 Chambers Street, Edinbrgh
Cost: Free, registration required

Gareth Hoskins’ Memorial – 19th March, Edinburgh
A public memorial will be held for Gareth Hoskins who died on 9th January, 2016, reports the RIAS. His family and colleagues extend this invitation to all and hope you can join this celebration of his life and outstanding achievements.

Date: Saturday 19th March 2016
Time: 18:30 – 20:30
Venue: National Museum Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF
Please arrive by the front entrance
The family would be most grateful if you could RSVP by the 4th March to rsvp(at)hoskinsarchitects.com.

Architect for Burrell Collection Refurbishment
29 Feb – John McAslan and Partners has been recommended to progress the renewal of the Burrell Collection Glasgow. Glasgow City Council’s executive committee is to meet on Thursday to consider the appointment of the practice and Gardiner & Theobald LLP as the Project Management led Architectural and Building Design Team. A design company, Event Communications, will also be recommended to be the museum’s exhibition designers.

Knockroon Campus News
29 Feb – A team led by Sheppard Robson Architects have secured the commission to oversee the £63.5m Knockroon Campus within the Broomfield area of New Cumnock, East Ayrshire, reports Urban Realm.

South Lanarkshire College Low Carbon Building News
26 Feb – South Lanarkshire College has opened the doors to the latest addition to its East Kilbride campus, a low carbon teaching building designed by Austin-Smith:Lord.

Kilmarnock Campus Construction
26 Feb – Kier Construction has been awarded the contract to build a £45m learning campus in Kilmarnock, clearing the way for construction work to get underway within the next few weeks.

Perth City Hall Building News
25 Feb – Plans to convert Perth City Hall into a food market collapsed yesterday after developers failed to convince councillors of the project’s financial viability.

Largs Campus Building News
Largs Campus Building
25 Feb – Construction work on a £50m school in Largs can official begin after the new facility cleared a final planning hurdle yesterday. The Largs campus will accommodate a relocated Largs Academy, along with a relocated St Mary’s RC Primary School and amalgamated Brisbane and Kelburn Primary School. It will also be the base for a new early years centre.

Briggait Creation Centre Building
Briggait Creation Centre Glasgow
25 Feb – Plans to build Scotland’s first purpose built accessible space for disabled dancers have been submitted in Glasgow.
Briggait Creation Centre Glasgow
Collective Architecture’s proposals will the Category A-listed former Briggait fish market in the city’s Merchant Quarter transformed into home for dance and physical performance.
Briggait Creation Centre Glasgow
The £3.06m project Briggait Creation Centre, for Wasps Studios, will provide space for 600 professional artists, physical performers and dancers and will include six dance studios and a café.

Highland Community Centre Building News
25 Feb – A £1.65m community centre in the small fishing village of Aultbea has been given the go-ahead by Highland Council on an empty plot adjacent to the existing outdated hall.

Shawlands Arcade
Shawlands Building
25 Feb – Shawlands Arcade, a prominent shopping centre in the south side of Glasgow, is set to be redeveloped following an acquisition of the 5.75 acre site by Strathclyde Pension Fund and Ediston Real Estate, reports Urban Realm.
In addition to 28 retail and leisure units the complex includes a multi-storey car park and 11,500sqft office block. An indicative appraisal of the site by Cooper Cromar however indicates it could be suitable for a mixed use development of 500,000sqft of retail and leisure alongside 200 apartments together with retention of parts of the existing centre.

Next phase of Help to Buy scheme vital to sustaining growth in lending and construction
24 Feb – The year-on-year growth in house purchase lending in Scotland reported today by the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has been welcomed as a signal of optimism for the sector by the country’s home building industry.

With a 17% increase reported in the fourth quarter of 2015 compared with the same period the previous year, trade body Homes for Scotland pointed to the importance of the popular Help to Buy (Scotland) shared equity scheme in sustaining growth in both lending and construction.

Chief Executive Nicola Barclay said:
“With the majority of Scots still aspiring to own their home, these latest CML statistics showing annual increases in lending by both value and volume will be encouraging news for those looking to take steps onto or up the housing ladder.

“The next phase of the Scottish Government’s hugely successful Help to Buy (Scotland) scheme has a crucial role to play by acting as a further driver for growth, helping to bridge the deposit gap and increase the supply of vital homes and jobs.”

Hoskins Architects News
23 Feb – A two year collaboration between Hoskins Architects and exhibition designers Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA) is coming to fruition with a ground breaking ceremony on site of the Weltmuseum Wien – Vienna Museum of Ethnology.

RIAS / RIBA Awards for Scotland Submission Deadline
23 Feb – Submission Deadline is Friday 26th February for the 2016 RIAS / RIBA Awards.

Submission to the RIAS Awards entitles entrants to be considered for the following awards – it is your only opportunity to do so:

– RIAS Awards (including RIAS/ Forestry Commission Scotland/Wood for Good Timber Award, RIAS/Historic Environment Scotland Conservation and Climate Change Award, the (new) RIAS/Saint-Gobain Emerging Architect Award, RIAS/Scottish Government Scotland’s Client of the Year Award) and RIAS/Zero Waste Scotland Resource Efficiency Award,
– RIAS Andrew Doolan Award
– RIBA Awards (including National Award, Client of the Year Award, Manser Medal, Stephen Lawrence Prize supported by the Marco Goldschmied Foundation)
– RIBA Stirling Prize

The submission deadline is no later than 5.00pm, Friday 26th February 2016. If you wish to enter, please request the entry form by emailing: [email protected]

Saltcoats Town Hall Refurbishment
23 Feb – North Ayrshire Council has re-opened Saltcoats town hall to the public following a £3.77m refurbishment of the Countess Street landmark.

Festival of Architecture Website
23 Feb – The full Festival of Architecture website is up and running with 220+ events announced already: www.foa2016.com

Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice Building
Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice Building
22 Feb – Ryder Architecture has been appointed by the Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice to implement the detailed design and delivery phase of its new building in Glasgow, reports Construction News Scotland. The project at Bellahouston Park will see Ryder build on work undertaken by NORD: Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice Building

Rutherglen Building Development
22 Feb – South Lanarkshire Council has granted planning permission for a £15 million mixed used development in Rutherglen, reports Construction News Scotland.
Rutherglen building development

To be located on land adjacent to Junction 2 of the M74 motorway, the Two74 development will comprise of an anchor retail store, a retail terrace, drive-through restaurant and two family restaurants.

Rutherglen building development

A-listed Glasgow Mews House
22 Feb – Campaigners have called for enforcement action to be taken against the owners of an A-listed mews property in Glasgow’s west end after the property was demolished last week without permission.

Mactaggart & Mickel Affordable Housing
19 Feb – Mactaggart & Mickel have unwrapped seven affordable homes at Polnoon, Eaglesham, in the latest phase of a 121 home development designed by Proctor and Matthews Architects with Horner + Maclennan.

BMJ Architects News
19 Feb – BMJ Architects have secured planning consent to erect a 5,500sqm research institute within the Bloomsbury Conservation Area, London. The Bloomsbury Research Institute is being spearheaded by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and UCL to lead the development of new drugs, vaccines and diagnostics to tackle infectious diseases.

Anniesland Methodist Church
18 Feb – Sanctuary Housing have completed a £2.7m redevelopment of a former church hall in Anniesland, Glasgow, to provide 24 flats and two roof gardens in addition to a new hall for the religious group.

University of Glasgow Campus Development Consultation
Boyd Orr Building University of Glasgow campus development
17 Feb – The University of Glasgow has held the latest public consultation into its ambitious campus development plans, focusing on an HLM’s learning and teaching hub on University Avenue and a master plan for the Western Infirmary site drawn up by 7N architects.

Architecture Meets Art 2016
17 Feb – Double S Events is excited to announce that “Architecture Meets Art”, better known as #AmeetsA, is back with a new exciting theme that is aimed at inspiring the Scottish community of architects, designers, artists, photographers, and in fact of the whole of the UK:

“After two very rewarding editions of #AmeetsA, that saw the participation of many very talented individuals who helped raising thousands of pounds for charity, we are now asking for even more participants to get involved and create something unique once again.

In 2016 we are devoting #AmeetsA to the Festival of Architecture: a major, year-long, Scotland-wide celebration led by The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland which brings Scottish architecture to life and is a key part of the 2016 Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design.

What does INNOVATION, ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN mean to you? How would you celebrate the amazing Scottish architecture?

This year we will be raising funds for the Architects Benevolent Society dedicated to helping architects, assistants, technologists, technicians, landscape architects and their families, in times of need. The ABS helps people of all ages across the UK who have experienced illness, accident, redundancy, unemployment, bereavement or other personal misfortune. Their support ranges from confidential advice to financial assistance – www.absnet.org.uk.

Please help by using your talents and perspectives of the country to create amazing pieces of art.”

1. Pick your favourite Scottish building, corner, square, site, landmark
2. Take inspiration and create a piece of art using any medium you choose
3. Sign, date, and frame your piece before delivering it to us
4. Provide a short accompanying text to describe your work and motivations for taking part

Key Dates:
• All artwork should be submitted to Double S Events by Friday 12th August 2016
• Exhibition: September 8th to 21st at TOJO – 20 Wilson St, Glasgow G1 1SS
• Gala dinner: September 22nd at The Trades Hall of Glasgow – 84 Glassford Street, Glasgow G1 1UH

Scottish Civic Trust Produces Six Point Action Plan for Next Scottish Government
16 Feb – The Scottish Civic Trust has produced a Six Point Action Plan for the Next Scottish Government in anticipation of the Holyrood 2016 elections. It was distributed to MSPs and parliamentary candidates last week.

Rural Mural artists seek sites in Glasgow city
Spring Fling Rural Mural
15 Feb – Scottish street artists to create colourful artworks on a farm building, animal refuge and village pub before heading to the city. A team of artists, who are soon to paint large murals in the Dumfries and Galloway countryside, are seeking a site in Glasgow to create another major work:
Large-Scale Artwork in Glasgow

Saltire Society Civil Engineering Awards
15 Feb – The search is on for Scotland’s top engineering and construction projects completed in 2015/16 with the launch of the 2016 Saltire Society Civil Engineering Awards.

Pop-up World Cities Expo
15 Feb – As part of the 2016 Festival of Architecture and the Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design 2016, cities from around the globe have been invited to design pavilions to be located in Mound Square, the very centre of Edinburgh, in early summer 2016 – more details on the Edinburgh Architecture site news page.

Dundee Waterfront News
15 Feb – ‘Our Enterprise’ is to become Dundee City Council’s preferred development partner for a £20 million investment in the city’s remarkable waterfront regeneration project.

Former Royal High School Building News
15 Feb – The alternative scheme has been endorsed by Historic Environment Scotland. Designed by Edinburgh’s Richard Murphy Architects and Simpson & Brown it is an alternative to Hoskins Architects’ hotel proposal.

Alexander Thomson Scholarship
13 Feb – Alexander Thomson Scholarship Deadline Extension: now 22nd February
The Glasgow Institute of Architects, as Trustees for the Alexander Thomson Scholarship, announce an extension to the £1200 Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson Scholarship. The deadline for entries is now the 22nd February 2016.
The 2016 Triennial Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson Scholarship will be awarded following a competition to create an A5 sized drawings on the theme of ‘Detail’.
This £1,200 award is traditionally awarded to a UK-based architect or UK student of architecture whose age does not exceed thirty years. For further details visit our competition page and for any queries contact [email protected].
This year’s brief is to create an A5 sized (portrait only) drawing on the theme of ‘Detail’. Any non-digital medium is accepted (ink, pencil, watercolour, oil etc.) and any method of representation is accepted (abstract, on-location sketch, measured, technical etc.)
Entries to be received no later than 12pm on the 22nd February 2016.

Landmark Glasgow Building Transformation to Steakhouse
13 Feb – updated link from the 11 Feb post (below): A landmark building in the centre of Glasgow is being turned into a luxury steakhouse thanks to a £1.5m cash injection, reports the Glasgow Evening Times. The historic building re-opens next month following the five-month refurbishment by Miller and Carter. http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/14272216.Inside_the_vaults_of_a_landmark_Glasgow_building_as_it_transforms_into_a___1_5million_steakhouse/

The Drum Scottish Design Awards 2016
11 Feb – The deadline to enter the The Drum Scottish Design Awards 2016 is fast approaching. With just under three weeks to go, it’s time to get started on your entries. The Scottish Design Awards 2016 are now in their 19th year and are Scotland’s most prestigious awards for architecture firms and design agencies.

St Vincent Street Post Office Building
11 Feb – A new restaurant will open in the vacant St Vincent Street Post Office building in Glasgow, reports the Glasgow Evening Times. Miller & Carter has announced it will open a new steakhouse on March 4, their second restaurant in Scotland – the first was in Edinburgh. The old Post Office building is under a five-month refurbishment project and was formerly the National Commercial Bank.

Larkfield Bus Depot Building
11 Feb – Plans have been unveiled to demolish the former Larkfield bus depot in Glasgow’s south side and build more than 100 homes and at least six shops, reports the Glasgow Evening Times.
The proposal will see five “retail units”, a “food store”, a “drive through”, a garden centre and 320 parking spaces built at the Victoria Road end of the site. The developer is Park Lane (previously involved at Glasgow Harbour).

Hinterland Music Commission
Cardross Seminary
9 Feb – Amidst the stunning, brutal, modern architecture of St Peter’s Seminary, audiences in March will discover aspects of the degraded building highlighted and animated through light installations, projection and sound elements.

Helensburgh Drive House
Helensburgh Drive House Extension
9 Feb – This project involved the re-modelling by Ewan Cameron Architects of an existing Arts & Crafts terraced property in Glasgow’s Jordanhill to include a new garden room and open plan dining / kitchen area.

Masquerade Ball in Glasgow
This Scottish construction industry event titled ‘Il Ballo del Doge’ took place at Mardi Gras, Arta, Merchant City.
Double S Events creator and organiser Sara Seravalli, whose #DesignPopUp has connected the architecture, design and building communities in a series of original showcases, hosted this event.

Netherton Primary School Building
6 Feb – £1.9million extension to Netherton Primary

V&A Dundee News
6 Feb – photos of the V&A Dundee building designed by Kengo Kuma & Associates, Japan, as constructiojn picks up on site.

Hinterland to launch the Festival of Architecture 2016 at St Peter’s Seminary
Hinterland to launch the Festival of Architecture 2016 at St Peter's Seminary
Discover Scotland’s greatest modernist ruin, St Peter’s Seminary, transformed by light and sound at the official launch event of Scotland’s Festival of Architecture 2016.
Tickets on sale now at www.hinterland.org

Glasgow University £1billion Plans
Kelvingrove Glasgow University expansion
5 Feb – It will transform the West End of Glasgow into a ‘museum quarter’ and create thousands of jobs.
And Glasgow University bosses say their £1billion project to expand the campus over the next 10 years will put the whole city on the world map, reports the Glasgow Evening Times.
The university has plans to revolutionise traditional teaching methods. They want to replace lecture theatres with new interactive hubs as well as a teaching and learning centre.
Kelvingrove Glasgow University Buildings
But there is also an emphasis on making the west of the city a tourist magnet.
Professor Anton Muscatelli, principal of the university, said: “We’re in the process of completing a mass planning exercise which will look at how the site – not just the Western Infirmary but the whole of Gilmorehill – will be redeveloped.
Glasgow University £1billion Plans

Campbeltown Picture House Restoration
5 Feb – A £2.5m refurbishment of the historic Picture House in Campbeltown has begun following the appointment of a contractor to the project, reports Construction News Scotland. Architects are Burrell Foley Fischer.
Corramore Construction will now begin the process of restoring the Art Nouveau landmark to include a 192 seat main auditorium, a 53 seat new second auditorium, a new entrance foyer and café, a gallery and education room.
First opening its doors in 1913, the Picture House is the oldest continuously operated cinema in Scotland but has been closed for the past 18 months.
The money for the restoration came from several different sources including the UK and Scottish governments, the National Lottery and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. The work is due to finish in March 2017.
Campbeltown Picture House Restoration

Port Glasgow HQ Building
5 Feb – Shipbuilder Ferguson Marine is to press ahead with a £2m HQ in Port Glasgow after obtaining planning consent by Inverclyde Council. The new office will complement a £12m upgrade programme, reports Urban Realm.

Fort William Civic Hub
4 Feb – Highland Council is to proceed with an office rationalisation programme, the centrepiece of which will see the B-listed former Fort William secondary school, reports Urban Realm.

Glasgow Architects
Glasgow Architects Listings, online since 2002.

Springfield Quay
4 Feb – Threesixty Architecture has submitted a planning application for a programme of façade and public realm improvements to Glasgow’s Springfield Quay leisure park following its purchase by Strathclyde Pension Fund, reports Urban Realm.

Victoria Infirmary Demolition
3 Feb – NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is seeking a developer the former Victoria Hospital site in Glasgow’s south side following the migration of services to the new Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, reports Urban Realm.
The 9.5 acre site which has lain vacant since May 2015 and an application to demolish non-listed buildings on the site on behalf of any future developer has already been approved – subject to a recommendation from Historic Scotland that lime and sand mix mortar be used for sandstone infill where a link corridor to the B-listed gatehouse is severed.

Forth Bridge Visitor Centre Building
3 Feb – Plans to build a visitor centre and bridge walk at the Forth Bridge are on hold. The Forth Bridge Visitor Facilities were designed by WT Architecture.

St Vincent Plaza Glasgow
St Vincent Plaza Glasgow
3 Feb 2016 – Abstract has completed another letting at its St Vincent Plaza Glasgow development to a public sector body. The building will be occupied as the new Glasgow base for Registers of Scotland (RoS), a non-ministerial government department, and follows hot on the heels of recent lettings to Whyte and Mackay and KPMG.
St Vincent Plaza is a speculative ‘Grade A’ office development of 172,280 sqft arranged on lower ground, and 10 upper floors, that was completed late in 2015. With a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ environmental accreditation and an EPC B rating, the development provides the most cost-effective new build city centre office accommodation anywhere in the UK.

Queensferry Crossing News
28 Jan – Engineers working on the new Queensferry Crossing say they are confident that the £1.4 billion project is on course to be completed on time and under budget.
Scheduled to open to traffic in December 2016, the bridge now has around 1,300 workers employed on its delivery. The cable-stayed bridge would take its full shape by the end of summer, before work begins on surfacing the road.
A total of 34 of the crossing’s 110 concrete decks are already in place, with its three towers also complete.

SECC Hotel and Apartment
SECC Hotel and Apartment in Glasgow
Jan 26 – Plans have been submitted by Keppie Design for a mixed use development of two hotels and serviced apartments at the entrance to Glasgow’s SECC complex.
The project for Chesterpeak Developments comprises a 4 star hotel of 203 bedrooms and a 3 star hotel containing 190 bedrooms and 35 serviced apartments.
SECC Hotel and Apartment by Keppie Design
Split into two distinct areas, the 11 storey four star hotel will be built on Stobcross Street incorporating restaurant and bar accommodation to serve hotel guests and SECC visitors, full floor of flexible meeting room accommodation and a link at second floor level with the existing multi-storey car park.
The three star hotel will face Finnieston Street and also include commercial, retail and leisure facilities.

EU Funding
25 Jan – A £209 m EU funding programme for innovation, health, environment and transport projects across western Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland, was launched in Belfast last week.

BREEAM 2016 Awards News
25 Jan – Two developments in Scotland have joined some of the finest examples of sustainable buildings from across the world in being shortlisted for 2016 BREEAM Awards, reports Construction News Scotland.

Gareth Hoskins Tribute – Argyll & Bute Urban Park
20 Jan – Argyll & Bute Council is to dedicate Helensburgh’s Hermitage Park to late architect Gareth Hoskins following the award of a £2.3m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Grant funding will go toward a new pavilion designed by Hoskins Architects, restoration of an A-listed war memorial, Japanese garden and wishing well – in addition to a new sports facility and children’s play area.
Councillor Ellen Morton, policy lead for infrastructure, said: “The money from the Heritage Lottery Fund will pay for around three-quarters of the cost of the project, with the council contributing £280,000 directly and the remaining money coming from other funders such as the War Memorial Trust….This has been a real partnership project between the council and the local community, by way of the Friends of Hermitage Park Association”.

Scottish Home Building News
20 Jan – 40,000 Scottish jobs could be created by end of next Parliament if home building returned to pre-recession levels.

The industry said Scots could benefit if a massive increase in home building in Scotland occurred, to stimulate construction.

A major recent research report backs this up. It identified that nearly 40,000 new jobs could be generated by the end of the next Scottish Parliament if home building levels in Scotland were to return to pre-recession levels.

The economic and social benefits of home building are many and wide-ranging:

Home building supported over 63,000 jobs in 2014 – that’s 4.1 for every one built.
Home building produced £3.2bn in Gross Value Added in 2013.
New homes contributed £238m to public finances in 2014 through taxes and planning contributions.
New homes generated over £400m in resident expenditure in 2014.
Energy-efficient new homes can help tackle fuel poverty, improve health and education outcomes and support the sustainability of local communities.

http://www.homesforscotland.com/Portals/HomesForScotland/Documents/2015/NLP%20Report/THE%20ECONOMIC%20AND%20SOCIAL%20BENEFITS%20OF%20HOME%20BUILDING%20Jan%202016.pdf?ver=2016-01-12-101252-283

Humbie Hub
19 Jan – Humbie Village Shop and Cafe, East Lothian by Lee Boyd Designers + Architects. The Humbie Hub project involved the complete reconfiguration of the original village shop and house, extending and refurbishing the accommodation to create facilities for a new post office and a much larger shop and also a community café/bistro, a unit for small businesses and other flexible community spaces.

Tontine Building
19 Jan – Plans have been unveiled to transform Glasgow’s Tontine Building into a high-tech space for up to 300 entrepreneurs in a £1.67m project.
Inspired by Google’s offices, the project is a key part of the £1.13 billion Glasgow and Clyde Valley City Deal. It will formally open in May.
Designed to inspire the 135 aspirational businesses expected to use the facility, its will include a mix of small informal meeting booths, boardrooms, workshop areas and presentation spaces. Key sectors to be targeted include enabling technologies, advanced design and manufacturing and creative industries.

Girvan and South Carrick Building
Girvan and South Carrick leisure facility
19 Jan – Construction work on a new leisure development for Girvan and South Carrick is due to start at the end of this month after the project reached formal financial last week.
Situated on Girvan Harbour, the new facility is designed by architects Archial Norr. It will be operated by South Carrick Community Leisure, and will be delivered by hub South West Scotland and contractor Morrison Construction, on behalf of South Ayrshire Council.
The £6m development will provide a new two storey building, housing a 25 m swimming pool, fitness suite, a cafe, a multi-purpose studio/community space and soft play area.

Gareth Hoskins OBE FRIAS – GIA Special Notice
15 Jan – The Glasgow Institute of Architects would like to extend their condolences to the family and colleagues of Gareth Hoskins.
‘We were deeply saddened to receive the news of Gareth’s death this week and our thoughts are with his family, friends and colleagues. Gareth Hoskins was an inspiration to many emerging architects and an important ambassador for Scottish architecture.
Gareth’s passion for the profession was evident in his address at the GIA annual lecture in 2012. A passion and enthusiasm which will be missed by many.’
Gareth made a major contribution to Scottish Architecture – in his award winning major public buildings including the reconfiguration of the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, as a teacher and in his continued work with Architecture and Design Scotland since its inception in 2005.

Sutherland Hussey Harris News
15 Jan – Images released of the building design by Sutherland Hussey Harris to restore and improve Saughton Park and Gardens in Edinburgh. This Scottish architecture practice has also been shortlisted for 2 sites in a RIBA competition in Brighton.

RIAS Awards / RIBA Awards for Scotland
13 Jan – RIAS/RIBA Awards 2016 – Call For Entries

Cairngorms Visitor Centre Building
13 Jan – A new visitor attraction in Grantown-on-Spey has been approved by the Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA).
The development will see the former Grantown East railway station revitalised, and the creation of a Highland Games demonstration area.

Scottish Flood Protection News
13 Jan – A plan to protect homes, businesses and communities from flooding has been launched by environment minister Aileen McLeod.
The Flood Risk Management plan contains 14 local strategies and proposals for 42 flood protection schemes or engineering works planned for 2016-21 and a range of other flood alleviation measures. This will be supported by investment over the first cycle of £235m on measures to protect up to 10,000 properties.

Gareth Hoskins News
11 Jan – Gareth Hoskins, OBE, B. Arch (Hons), Dip Arch, M. Arch, RSA, RIBA, FRIAS died on Saturday, aged just 48.
Hoskins Architects

National Sports Centre in Inverclyde
National Sports Centre in Inverclyde

Alexander Thomson Non-Digital Drawing Competition
7 Jan – The Glasgow Institute of Architects have launched its triennial Alexander Thomson Scholarship A5 drawing competition to create a portrait based on the theme of ‘Detail’.

Bell Street Flats
7 Jan – Glasgow Edinburgh Developments, working in conjunction with Grant Stafford Ltd, have submitted plans to build 54 apartments on a brownfield site at Bell Street, Glasgow, designed by Jewitt and Wilkie Architects, reports Urban Realm.

Largs Campus Building
6 Jan – North Ayrshire Council is pressing ahead with plans to construct a £43.3m school Campus in Largs, within the grounds of Sport Scotland Inverclyde National Centre, designed by JM Architects, reports Urban Realm.

Largs Sports Centre
6 Jan – Work to deliver a £12m upgrade of Sport Scotland’s National Centre Inverclyde is to get underway this month after the project was given the go ahead by North Ayrshire Council, reports Urban Realm.

National Centre Inverclyde
6 Jan 2016 – North Ayrshire Council today granted planning permission for the UK’s first fully-inclusive residential sports training facility. The building is designed by Edinburgh architects Reiach and Hall.

National Sports Centre in Inverclyde

The £12m sportscotland National Centre Inverclyde has long been integral to the Scottish sporting system but the new development will raise the bar by providing state-of-the-art equipment, facilities, and accommodation under one roof.

National Sports Centre in Inverclyde

Funded by the Scottish Government and sportscotland, the centre will be the first of its kind in the UK and will provide more opportunities for hosting national and international sporting events, particularly in para-sport.

National Sports Centre in Inverclyde

The building includes an accommodation block providing 60 fully accessible twin rooms offering 120 bed spaces.

National Sports Centre in Inverclyde

Reiach and Hall also designed Aberdeen Sports Village and Oriam, Scotland’s sport performance centre, currently under construction at Heriot Watt University. All three projects are part-funded by sportscotland to further improve Scotland’s sporting infrastructure.

National Sports Centre in Inverclyde

Morrison Construction will start on site this January, completing by the end of March 2017.

National Sports Centre in Inverclyde

University of Glasgow Research Hub
5 Jan 2016 – The University of Glasgow has appointed HOK architects and engineering firm WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff to develop a £40m research hub at its Gilmorehill campus following a competitive tender. The Research Hub will be designed to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration.

University of Glasgow Research Hub

The University of Glasgow has appointed HOK as lead consultant to design a new 14,000 sqm Research Hub at the institution’s 31-hectare Gilmorehill Campus. The £40m project will provide a state-of-the-art facility for the university’s researchers to investigate significant global challenges including energy demand and waste management. The project is expected to be complete in 2019.

“We are thrilled to have an opportunity to work with the University of Glasgow and our partners on the design of this significant and visionary project,” said Adrian Gainer, regional leader for Science + Technology at HOK. “We have extensive experience in delivering highly successful research environments worldwide. We look forward to creating a design that will encourage interdisciplinary collaboration and inspire the university’s research teams to pursue world-changing activities.”

In response to the university’s objectives, HOK’s design will encourage cross-sector collaboration through the creation of a flexible environment that promotes interaction and lateral thinking.

This significant new campus is a critical part of the university’s ‘Inspiring People, Changing the World: University Strategy 2015 – 2020’ and will enhance its position as one of the world’s leading broad-based research-intensive institutions. The Research Hub will be located on land released from the expansion to Glasgow’s Western Infirmary.

HOK is providing design consultancy services for the project. The consultancy team is collaborating with WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff, which has secured the multi-discipline engineering contract. Ironside Farrar is the planning consultant.

HOK is a global design, architecture, engineering and planning firm celebrating 60 years of design and innovation in 2015.

Through a network of 25 offices worldwide, HOK provides design excellence and innovation to create places that enrich people’s lives and help clients succeed. DesignIntelligence consistently ranks HOK as a leader in sustainable and high-performance design and recently named HOK the #1 most-admired firm for leadership in technology innovation. Other HOK-designed collaborative workspaces include three projects in London: the new headquarters for BBC Worldwide and publishing house Hachette UK as well as the Francis Crick Institute, which is due to be complete in 2016.

Scottish College Building News
5 Jan – Some of Scotland’s college buildings require major upgrading it has been claimed. Colleges Scotland has told Scottish ministers at least £280m will be needed in capital cash on top of £105m for maintenance over the next three years. The figures were contained in the organisation’s official submission to the Scottish Government ahead of this month’s budget. Officials told the Scottish Government: “The college sector is reliant on public funds for their capital investment needs so, to maintain and improve the learning environment for the most deprived communities and to ensure the college estate supports the delivery of vocational training while students acquire the necessary skills to enter the workforce, investment is a necessity.”

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