THE winners of a set of prestigious architecture awards have been announced.
The 2022 Architecture and Design Scotland and Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland Scottish Student Awards for Architecture recognises projects which tackle social challenges, urban sprawl and the climate emergency – with a number of prizes up for grabs.
The winning entries were announced at the annual Andy MacMillan Memorial Lecture on Thursday. The lecture, The Glasgow Affect, was given by Paul Stallan, design director of Stallan-Brand and this year’s guest judge for the awards.
This year’s awards saw over 60 entries from five Scottish schools for architecture. The entries included projects spanning environments such as cities, canals, and rural and island settings, with winning submissions featuring ideas on tackling climate change through reusing materials and public housing development.
The winning projects
Three projects were awarded the top prizes across five categories.
Karlis Kukainis from the Mackintosh School of Architecture was awarded the Rowand Anderson Silver Medal for best 5th-year student for his project Pre-Landfill.
The judges commented that “with stunning visuals, Pre-Landfill is an extremely well thought out project that explores a renovation strategy of a vacant hospital in Glasgow”.
The judges added this “playful project exhibits the art in architecture and shows that there can be fun beyond science”. The project explored the limits of reuse practices of reclaimed materials from demolished buildings and how this could help tackle climate change.
Reclaimed materials
Kukainis’ project also won the Architecture and Design Scotland Sustainable Design Award. The judges said it challenged the public’s view of decay as a sign of sustainability through longevity.
Public housing challenges
The winner of the Architecture and Design Scotland award for best 3rd-year student was Inka Eismar from Edinburgh School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (ESALA) for Common Ground | Leith.
The judges commented: “Public housing estates often face physically and socially intertwined challenges.
"The proposal by Inka Eismar from ESALA for the New Kirkgate development in Leith introduces a town hall to the fragmented site, with a programme intersecting the local government and grassroots movements that could be an asset to the community and enhance the lives of those people.”
Responding to urban sprawl
Sam Morman, from the University of Dundee, picked up the Urban Design Award, as well as the Andy MacMillan Drawing Award, for his project The Open Edge.
The judges described the entry as “absolutely outstanding".
The submission explored a strategic response to urban sprawl by creating a defined settlement edge for the town of Blairgowrie and Rattray.
The judges admired the hand-drawn aspect, describing it as an "elegant set of drawings", adding that it paid attention to context with careful consideration for the land.
Chris Stewart, president of the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland, said: "The Student Awards show off the breadth of talent we have coming through the ranks in Scottish architecture. It has been a joy to judge the projects this year and I can't wait to see what these rising stars create throughout their careers."
Samantha McCabe, award judge and Architecture and Design Scotland board member said: “The Student Awards are an excellent way for us to showcase the talent that exists across Scotland’s schools of architecture and urban design. It has been a pleasure to see the creativity that the students have put towards tackling the significant issues of our times and their approach to creating a more sustainable place for us all to live in and enjoy.”
