Plans for a new £15 million development project at the Crichton Estate in Dumfries have been unveiled.
The aim is to transform the old laundry block into one of the “most significant cultural buildings” in Scotland with a focus on mental health and well-being.
It is claimed the ambitious proposals, brainchild of the Crichton Trust, will transform cultural provision in the region.
And it will compliment the already diverse range of facilities and organisations on the 85 acre estate, a rich mix of academic institutions and businesses.
Now RIAS Consultancy, the competitions and procurement arm of the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland, has launched a design competition to find an architecture team to take on the challenge.
Part of that will be to enhance understanding of the Crichton’s 180 year heritage.
The new building – provisionally titled The Crichton Centre for Memory and Wellbeing - will contain exhibition and archive facilities to house the Crichton Archive and a Crichton Heritage Centre.
A new visual arts and exhibition space, an intergenerational academic study space and resource centre, and a land art archives and research centre will also be included.
The trust and RIAS Consultancy have developed a competition structure that seeks out talent wherever it may be, encourages collaboration and enables a wide range of practices to apply.
The competition has been explicitly designed to encourage teams of practices, including smaller firms, to work together and submit joint bids. It is part-funded by the UK Government through the Community Renewal Fun.
The closing date for first stage submissions is Friday, August 19. Following a shortlisting process, five teams will then be awarded an honorarium of £20,000 to develop their proposals, with the expectation that a winning team will be announced in November.
Gwilym Gibbons, chief executive of The Crichton Trust, said: “We are very excited about creating The Crichton Centre for Memory and Wellbeing, in what will become a new landmark building in the heart of the Crichton.
“This project is about preserving our past and building the heritage of the future and I am intrigued to see the design proposals when they come through.
“This is one of several development projects included within our ambitious 100-year plan for The Crichton and is an important milestone in our journey to connect people, place and the past to shape the future.”
Detailed information for entrants is available at www.thecrichtonproject.com.
