A sandstone house perched on the cliffs in St Andrews was the winner at the Dundee Institute of Architects annual awards.
Overall winner
Ladies Lake, designed by Andrew Black Design in Dundee, won the overall prize at Thursday’s black tie dinner. The bronze-clad house built in cut sandstone also took the awards for Best New House and Best Use of Stone.
Ladies Lake was built on the site of a 1960s house that was demolished to make way for the stunning new building. Invisible from the road, the house has sweeping views across St Andrews Castle and West Sands and Castle Sands beaches.
Although it spans three storeys, Ladies Lake is no higher than the building it replaced, using the site’s topography to minimise its visual impact.
The inside is every bit as special as the outside, with marble and slate walls and frameless glass giving sweeping views out to sea.
Highly commended in the Best New Home category was Greenburn by Colin Smith + Judith Wilson Architects. Nestled in trees above Elliot Water near Arbroath the low-slung house is clad in stone, timber and zinc.
Best New Home was a category packed full of excellent entries and judges gave a “commended” accolade to The Rings, in a rural location a few miles from Cupar in Fife.
Designed to be disabled-friendly, the wheelchair accessible holiday cottage was designed by Chambers McMillan and can have its interior design configured into numerous layouts from a single home sleeping 16 to eight two-bed units. It was built following a lengthy planning battle by owners Moira and David Henderson which saw several neighbours object to the development.
Best Interior
Best Interior was won by Tayberry, for a sympathetic overhaul of a restaurant on Broughty Ferry’s esplanade by architect Jon Frullani. Since it opened earlier this year Tayberry has garnered rave reviews for the quality of its locally sourced food.
Best Commercial Project
Hot Box Sauna at Kenmore was named Best Commercial Project. Sat on the shore of Loch Tay, the McKenzie Strickland Associates project is thought to be Scotland’s biggest sauna at no less than 40 feet in length and is heated by a wood burning stove.
The new Harris Academy in Dundee was highly commended in the Commercial category, with judges praising architects Holmes Miller for its street presence and clever yet functional design.
Commended in the Best Commercial Project category was Callum Walker Showroom in Perth. Built to near Passivhaus standards, the small showroom by Aim Design is packed with technology.
Best Group Housing
West Burn Lane in St Andrews won the Best Group Housing award. Designed by Sutherland Hussey Harris Architects, the collection of six four-bedroom townhouses, four maisonettes and four apartments is located in a conservation area near the centre of the historic town.
Commended in the Best Group Housing was East Shore, also in St Andrews. The student accommodation on the edge of East Sands is the work of Carson and Partners.
Best Small Project
The Best Small Project category was a dead heat, with two projects winning a joint award.
Hepburn Gardens Sunroom in St Andrews was an extension project by Hurd Rolland Partnership that creates a light, happy space that connects house and garden.
Easter Fernie School House by Fife Architects is a near off-grid home created within the shell of a former schoolhouse.
Best Rehab/Rejuvenation
Kingsbarns Distillery and Visitor Centre won the Best Rehab/Rejuvenation Award. Simpson & Brown oversaw the transformation of the old farm buildings into a striking distillery, visitor centre and cafe. The Tayberry was commended in this category.
Other awards
Kelty Community Centre, designed by Fife Council Property Services, won the Ambassador Award, while the On the Drawing Board accolade went to Nicol Russell Studios for its School for Performing Arts design.
Architecture students Stephen O’Loughlin and Peter Garrett Munnoch won the Best Final Year Students prize for their work.
