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The Herald Scotland
22-05-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Scotland's national architecture awards
The RIAS Awards are open to all types and sizes of architectural projects. Buildings are assessed by an expert jury who visit each project in person, and consider the buildings' architectural integrity, usability and context, delivery and execution, and sustainability. The 11 winners of the 2025 RIAS Awards will now become the 'longlist' for the RIAS Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award – one of the most significant architecture prizes in the world. The Doolan Award shortlist will be announced in July ahead of the winner announcement in November. Recipients of the 2025 RIAS Awards are also eligible for the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) National Awards. READ MORE The judges praised the project as a benchmark in public-realm regeneration, demonstrating the power of sensitive, people-centred design to transform a city's sense of place. The jury for the 2025 RIAS Awards was chaired by Jessam Al-Jawad (director, Al-Jawad Pike), who visited the projects alongside fellow judges Caroline Grewar (programme director, V&A Dundee), Craig Hamilton (founding director, Craig Hamilton Architects) and Ann Nisbet (director, Ann Nisbet Studio). Jessam Al-Jawad said: 'This year's RIAS Awards winners show an inspiring range of responses to Scotland's landscapes, communities, and heritage — from quietly transformative conservation to bold public architecture. "Across the board, we saw a deep care for context, sustainability and the people who use these buildings. Taken together, these projects demonstrate the extraordinary breadth of talent in Scottish architecture today.' The 2025 RIAS Awards winners are: Aldourie Castle, Loch Ness by Ptolemy Dean Architects This five-year project involved not only the conservation of the Category A listed Aldourie Castle, but also the restoration of all the surrounding estate buildings, and the design of new ones - including farm buildings, an energy centre, a boathouse and a pedestrian bridge. The judges admired how the project has restored the spirit of the place and reconnected the disparate buildings to their romantic setting, blending sensitivity and wit to deliver a project where the past speaks to the present and the present speaks to the past. Caoghan na Creige, Isle of Harris by Izat Arundell This home in the Outer Hebrides was designed and hand-built by the architects, and stands as a rare example of deep-rooted, site-responsive design. The judges described the project as a testament to what can be achieved through patience, skill and a profound respect for place: a richly personal and beautifully crafted work that shows the strength of emerging architectural voices. Ellengowan Regeneration, Dundee by Collective Architecture Ellengowan Regeneration replaces 124 deteriorating flats with 130 affordable homes, and responds to the needs of the existing community with a mix of housing including accessible flats, cottage flats, family terraced houses and a corner shop. The judges praised the project's inclusive and contextual approach–one that balances modern needs and aspirations with heritage preservation, to foster a vibrant and sustainable neighbourhood. Fairburn Tower, Muir of Ord, Highland by Simpson & Brown Architects Built in the 16th Century and added to in the 17th, this remote Category A listed structure had fallen into a ruinous state. The design was implemented with great sympathy and close attention to detail, following rigorous research. The judges described Fairburn Tower as an exemplar project, where restoration and reconstruction are beautifully accomplished, while also delivering characterful holiday accommodation. Gairnshiel Jubilee Bridge, Gairnshiel, Aberdeenshire by Moxon Architects The Gairnshiel Jubilee Bridge provides a new route over the River Gairn, eliminating the lengthy detours and delays caused by frequent structural damage to the 18th century crossing as this was no longer suitable for modern-day traffic. The judges described the project as a fine example of how to integrate a modern vehicular bridge into a sensitive landscape, one that hopes to inspire other bridge and infrastructure schemes HM Prison and Young Offender Institution Stirling by Holmes Miller Architects This ambitious and quietly radical project marks a fundamental rethinking of custodial environments in Scotland. Designed with compassion and clarity, it supports women in custody through spaces that promote dignity, equality and meaningful rehabilitation. The judges praised this as a landmark project for Scottish architecture–a model of how public buildings can be both operationally robust and deeply humane. Kinloch Lodge, Lairg by GRAS Kinloch Lodge is an exceptional example of a 'light-touch' conservation project. To maintain the charming and idiosyncratic nature of the original mid-19th century lodge and its clutch of later extensions and outbuildings, each of these has been lovingly, painstakingly and respectfully restored exactly as they were found. The judges noted how the architects' philosophical approach is rarely practised and is a tribute to their experience and humility. The Nucleus Building, University of Edinburgh by Sheppard Robson A vibrant new heart for the University of Edinburgh, this building seamlessly unites teaching, learning and social spaces. The judges described the Nucleus Building as a deftly executed piece of civic architecture–a considered, enduring and generous response to a multifaceted brief that sets a powerful precedent for the future of university design in Scotland Riverside Primary School, Perth by Architype Riverside Primary School is the first Passivhaus-certified school in Scotland, bringing the complex needs of nursery, primary and intensive support provision (ISP) under one roof. The judges described this as an exemplary school project, which will serve as an inspiring model for the design of schools in Scotland and across the UK. Rosebank Distillery, Falkirk by MLA Once considered lost, the Rosebank Distillery has been thoughtfully brought back to life through an evocative restoration that showcases how careful planning and strong collaboration can breathe new life into heritage sites. The jury was impressed by the depth of engagement and ambition shown by the design team, who navigated complex constraints including contamination, conservation, coal mining risk and listed structures. Union Terrace Gardens, Aberdeen by Stallan-Brand Architecture + Design This exemplary transformation of a long-neglected civic space reclaims Union Terrace Gardens as Aberdeen's green heart. Three refined, lantern-like pavilions sit comfortably within their sensitive context, and accommodate a café, restaurant and wine bar. The judges praised the project as a benchmark in public-realm regeneration, demonstrating the power of sensitive, people-centred design to transform a city's sense of place.
BBC News
16-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Shortlist revealed for major East of England architecture awards
A re-imagining of a 1980s bungalow and a converted telephone exchange are among the projects shortlisted for architectural awards in the East of of the 14 projects have already won special commendations in the 2025 Royal Institute of British were chosen by a specialist jury who visited every nominated award winners are put forward for a national award which will be announced on 10 July. Matt Blakeley, the regional director for RIBA Central, said: "These projects exemplify not only admirable excellence in design and beauty, but a bold commitment to architecture's vital role in our environmental goals and social impact."RIBA East Award winners will now be considered for a RIBA National Award in recognition of their architectural excellence. The shortlist for the RIBA Stirling Prize for the best building of the year will be drawn from the national award-winning projects later in the year. Follow East of England news on X, Instagram and Facebook: BBC Beds, Herts & Bucks, BBC Cambridgeshire, BBC Essex, BBC Norfolk, BBC Northamptonshire or BBC Suffolk.
The Independent
15-05-2025
- The Independent
These neighbouring East Sussex seaside towns are billed as the ‘new Margate'
Shoreditch-on-sea, the new Margate… call them what you will, the neighbouring towns of Hastings and St Leonards have been attracting a lot of positive attention in recent months, thanks to their vibrant foodie scene and good mix of shops and galleries, and proximity to the capital – under 90 minutes by train to London Bridge. For a flavour of the area, get off the train at St Leonards Warrior Square and take a stroll down Kings Road, an increasingly vibrant street with pavement cafés, a growing weekend street market and shops selling vintage furniture and quirky gifts. From here head to the seafront and onto the promenade, turning left you'll get your first glimpse of the RIBA Stirling Prize-winning Hastings pier. Passing Warrior Square Gardens, go under the promenade and take in Bottle Alley. This 480-metre lower deck walkway gets its name from the glass mosaics that adorn its walls. Past the pier and Source Park – a swimming pool ingeniously repurposed as a skate rink and home to some interesting bars and restaurants – you'll arrive in the Old Town, the heart of Hastings. As with most seaside towns, the best time to come is during the summer when you could enjoy an ice cream on the beach or a refreshing dip. While busy in July, August and September, Hastings never feels overcrowded. Trains run all year. From St Pancras International (changing at Ashford), the journey takes 1 hour 29 mins, while from London Bridge or London Victoria direct, it's 1 hour and 25 mins and 2 hours and 10 mins, respectively. It's worth bearing in mind that some museums, galleries, bars and restaurants don't open early in the week if you're coming for culture or culinary delights. A couple of noteworthy diary dates: On the first weekend of May the town's doors are decked with foliage and ribbons for family-friendly Jack in the Green – a folk tradition to welcome spring. In July, the town is filled with Captain Jack Sparrow lookalikes for Pirate Day. Some locals refer to newcomers – East Sussex in Figures estimates that some 3,000+ people moved to the county in the year to mid-2023 – as DFLs (Down from Londons) – said mostly with affection, yet there's little doubt that this collection of people has brought with them the resources to do up unloved properties and open a variety of new businesses making both Hastings and St Leonard's more interesting in the process. The best things to do in Hastings and St Leonards Visit Stella Dore Gallery on Norman Road Specialising in street and urban contemporary artists, Stella Dore Gallery was founded by Steph Warren, previously of Banksy's Pictures on Walls, and puts on exhibitions by the likes of Sara Pope, Dave Buonaguidi and others and also produces mural commissions and 'artistic interventions'. Browse MidMod and kitschy 1980s furniture at Sideshow Interiors With shops on St Leonard's seafront and George Street in the Old Town, the Sideshow guys have an eye for statement pieces for the home. Fancy a life-size peacock statue or a Charles Dudouyt 1930s Brutalist sideboard? Pay them a visit. Play a round of crazy golf It is surely just a matter of time before crazy golf takes over from bowls and darts as the hipsters' 'sport' of choice. Hastings Adventure Golf has two courses to try, one pirate-themed, the other more traditional. The World Crazy Golf Championships 2025 will take place here from June 6-8th. Visit Hastings Museum and Art Gallery Punching well above its weight for a free, small-town museum, Hastings Museum and Art Gallery tells the town's story from the Mesolithic age to today and has displays of ethnography, archaeology, costume and art as well as a calendar of temporary exhibitions. Don't miss the beautiful Durbar Hall, originally part of an Indian palace, it was painstakingly moved and installed here in 1928. Visit the Hastings Net Huts Hastings' famous wooden-framed, black weatherboard-clad net and tackle stores sit proudly overlooking the working fishing beach they once served. The buildings – some three storeys tall – were originally constructed in the 16th century and could be moved around on the shingle but are today very much firmly in place on Rock-a-Nore Road. Just along from these are the Hastings Fishermen's Museum (where kids can clamber onto a real-life fishing boat) and Shipwreck Museum – both free to enter, they do exactly what it says on the tin. Take the funicular up to the East Cliff Opposite the net huts is the East Hill Cliff Railway Lift. The steepest funicular railway in the UK takes visitors up to the East Hill for views over the Old Town onto St Leonard's and as far as Eastbourne on a clear day. Explore the historic streets of the Old Town Semi-pedestrianised George Street and the adjoining High Street are the social hubs of Old Town. The High Street is lined with period properties, some dating back to 1700, a relative youngster compared to its neighbour on nearby All Saints Street, which has been standing since 1450. The High Street, All Saints Street and Tackleway are all architecturally interesting and you can have fun exploring the twittens (alleyways) between them. Where to eat in St Leonard's and Hastings There's much debate about the differences between St Leonard's and Hastings with many saying the former has a more boho vibe than the latter, thanks to the influx of trendy metropolitan types (see earlier). Recent restaurant openings in St Leonard's include Bayte, a modern European place with a focus on seasonal local produce, and The Royal, a gastropub with chef Andrew Taylor Gray, whose CV takes in Hix and The Canton Arms, in the kitchen creating 'unfussy, seasonal food'. On George Street, in the Old Town, Ladle offers hearty plates of pasta as well as cocktails and is doing so well it recently expanded to a second property opposite. Run by a Michelin-trained chef and a cocktail expert, Ladle recently introduced a series of cookery classes. Further along George Street, Petit Fi is a lovely spot for brunch or lunch such as a hearty soup of the day or the Sussex Smokie (Hastings smoked haddock in white wine, cheese and thyme. Farmyard is the place to go if you love wine. Their list highlights natural, organic and interesting bottles, including a few labels from local vineyards such as cool-kid favourite, Tillingham. Just opened at Hastings Contemporary is Coquina, which serves tea and cake all day and tasty Mediterranean/Levant leaning food throughout the day and into the evening. Everything here is served with an unbeatable view over the beach. Where to drink in St Leonards and Hastings A recent newcomer on George Street is Noah's Goat, a wine bar and shop opened by long-term Hastings residents Nick and Nicky Holt, who previously ran The Stag Inn on All Saints Street. NG has an ever-evolving menu of wines by the glass or bottle as well as charcuterie boards and a selection of cheese. Also on George Street is The Old Pawn Shop, a bijou cocktail bar serving some of the best pours in town. If you like music with your drinks, local institution The Jenny Lind, on the high street, hosts regular folk and shanty concerts, while over in St Leonard's, another pub, The Piper on Norman Road, offers an eclectic lineup of gigs. Where to stay Housed, as its name suggests, in a beautiful old rectory next to the historic All Saints Church, The Old Rectory is a home-from-home B&B with artfully designed rooms named after Old Town streets and a beautifully tended walled Victorian garden. Rooms £140-£210 with breakfast.
Time Out
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
The best building in London has been crowned for 2025
One thing about London is that it has buildings galore. There are weird futuristic towers, imposing brutalist monuments, gothic spires and centuries-old landmarks. The capital is an architecture enthusiast's dream. Every year, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) celebrates the best newest additions to London's architectural scene. This year, there were a total of 38 London buildings acknowledged at the awards, but there was one project that stood out above the rest. Tower Hamlets Town Hall was crowned the RIBA London Building of the Year 2025. The award-winning town hall sits in the former Royal London Hospital, which was part of Whitechapel Road's DNA for more than 250 years. The hospital relocated in 2012, leaving the Grade II-listed building empty and derelict, but then, Tower Hamlets borough council bought the the building in 2015 and called in architects Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM) to convert it into its new headquarters. The £124.75m transformation was completed in 2023. AHMM combined original parts of the building with new, more modern additions. The Grade II-listed 1906 staircases are still there and many original features of the operating theatres, now used as meeting rooms, remain. More reminders of the former hospital include exposed old brickwork and neoclassical windows. RIBA judges lauded Tower Hamlets Town Hall for being a 'tour de force of reinvention, combining a sensitivity to the existing building's story with a sharpness of contemporary detailing'. They called the conversion 'sensitive and brave, creating a modern, civic home for council administration, local services and democracy'. Here are some more pics of the place. Other buildings included in the RIBA London Awards 2025 include the Young V&A in Bethnal Green, the renovation of Elizabeth Tower and the London College of Fashion in Stratford. Here's the full list of winners. RIBA London Award Winners 2025 East The Gilbert and George Centre, Spitalfields Young V&A, Bethnal Green Tower Court, Stamford Hill 8 Bleeding Heart Yard, Farringdon Mary Ward Centre, Stratford Becontree Avenue, Dagenham Catching Sun House, Walthamstow London College of Fashion, Stratford St Mary's Walthamstow, east London Central Foundation Boys' School, Islington Tower Hamlets Town Hall, Whitechapel North Maitland Park Estate Redevelopment, Camden New Wave House, Brent Haringey Brick Bungalow, Haringey Technique, Islington Pine Heath, Camden Southeast Sidcup Storyteller, Bexley Blenheim Grove, Southwark Citizens House, Lewisham Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Southwark Harfield Gardens, Southwark Idlewild Mews, Croydon WorkStack, Greenwich Design Distrcit C1 and D1, Greenwich Niwa House, Southwark Appleby Blue Almshouse, Southwark Southwest Lower Ham, Kingston-upon-Thames Costa's Barbers, Wandsworth Royal College of Music, Westminster Elizabeth Tower, Westminster Chelsea Brut, Kensington and Chelsea V&A Photography Centre, Kensington and Chelsea West Quadrangle Building, King's College London, Westminster The Greenhill Building, Harrow Arts Centre, Harrow Chancery House, City of London Soho Place, Westminster Hallelujah Project, Westminster Daventry House, Westminster
BBC News
02-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Midlands projects win RIBA architecture awards
A transformed 1930s fire station and a carbon-neutral nursery are among five projects to pick up regional architectural awards. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) announced the winners at a ceremony on Thursday evening celebrating great architecture across the five schemes were selected by an expert jury who visited all shortlisted Collett, chair of the West Midlands RIBA jury, said the winning projects demonstrated how "constraints can become opportunities". "Whether spanning a road tunnel, replacing a car park, or transforming underperforming existing structures into dynamic and exciting places to study and live, these projects deliver outstanding value," he 2025 RIBA West Midlands Award winning buildings are: One Centenary Way by Howells, Birmingham The sustainable, steel-frame office building, bridging over a busy road tunnel in Birmingham was awarded Project Architect of the Year. Hanbury Hall by Howells, Worcestershire The hall picked up its regional award after the addition of a new cafe to the Grade I listed country house. University of Staffordshire Woodlands Nursery by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios The timber-clad, carbon-neutral nursery, which is built on a former car park, received the Sustainability and Client of the Year award. Coventry University, College of Arts & Society by BDP The transformation of two brutalist buildings into a "future-facing hub" at Coventry Universities' College of Arts and Society was named Building of the jury praised how the architects ambitiously "knitted the formerly disparate existing buildings together". Old Fire Station by KKE Architects Ltd, Worcestershire The 1930s fire station on Copenhagen Street picked up one of the regional awards after it had been renovated into 28 new apartments and a retail space. Speaking about all UK award winners, RIBA president, Muyiwa Oki, said: "This year's winners exemplify architecture's power to transform - turning spaces into places of connection, creativity, and care."The Midlands winners will now be considered for a RIBA national award, which will be announced on 10 July. The shortlist for the RIBA Stirling Prize for the best building of the year, will then be drawn from the RIBA national award-winning projects later in the year. Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
