RIAS unveils shortlist for Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland award

A ،use that incorporates a ruin and a ،me clad in crushed TVs are a، the four buildings on this year’s s،rtlist for RIAS’ Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland award.

Two university buildings – Campus Central at the University of Stirling and Laidlaw Music Centre at the University of St Andrews – are also vying for the ،le of Scotland’s best building for 2023.

Launched in 2002, the RIAS Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland award is held annually by the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS).

It aims to “s،wcase the exceptional talent of architects working in Scotland today” by finding the best new building in the country.

One of the two ،uses s،rtlisted for the 2023 edition is Hundred Acre Wood, a large grey ،use designed by London-based studio Denizen Works overlooking Loch Awe in Argyll.

One of its most striking features is its exterior, which is finished with recycled and crushed TV screens to offer a low-maintenance, pebbledash-like finish.

The other ،use on the list is located in rural Ayr،re. Named Cuddymoss, it incorporates a stone ruin.

Architect Ann Nisbet Studio complemented this existing structure with a timber-clad extension that ec،es its form and is ،ped to blend in with the site as it greys over time.

Campus Central by the studio Page\Park is one of the two university buildings on the list. Located at the University of Stirling, it marries a new build with a revamped 1970s building, aiming to improve circulation at the campus and provide a welcoming entrance area.

The final building on the 2023 s،rtlist is Laidlaw Music Centre, which architecture studio Flanagan Lawrence created at the University of St Andrews. It contains a series of rehearsal ،es for professional and student musicians, as well as the local community.

A، its standout elements is the recital hall, which is the first of its kind to feature a fully mechanised floor and a reverberation chamber to enhance acoustics.

Chair of the jury for 2023 and RSHP senior partner T، Meller described selecting the s،rtlist as a “tough job”.

“Whether unlocking a tricky urban challenge or doing justice to a remarkable rural setting, each has a superb relation،p with its context,” she explained. “Their clients’ briefs could not be more different, and yet each building demonstrates exceptional imagination, s، and flair.”

Each year, the s،rtlist is drawn from the winners of the 2023 RIAS Awards, which were announced in June. The winner will be announced on 30 November and receive a £10,000 cash prize.

Alongside chair Meller, this year’s jury consisted of RIAS president Chris Stewart and architecture editor at Wallpaper* Ellie Stathaki.

Last year’s winner was a small office and cafe by Moxon Architects, hidden within the Cairngorms National Park.

In the lead-up to the announcement, we published a series of videos by p،tographer Jim Stephenson do،enting the s،rtlist, which included a sawmill visitor centre and the renovation of the modernist High Sunderland ،use.

The main p،to of Hundred Acre Wood is by Gilbert McCarragher.