Q) Is this an award-winning piece of architecture, or a shed? A) Both

Published on Thursday 21 May 2009 22:22

A HOME dubbed "The Shed" and a community centre in one of Scotland's most deprived areas are among a clutch of developments awarded prizes yesterday for their architectural excellence.

Seven projects around the country have won the Royal Institute of British Architects' (Riba) coveted annual prizes.

The haul has been described as an "unprecedented" triumph for architectural projects in Scotland, with the winning schemes now shortlisted for the prestigious Riba Stirling Prize.

The seven winners came from ten Scottish projects originally shortlisted in the Riba competition. In all, 97 buildings throughout Britain were awarded the prize.

Drummond House, which is known affectionately as The Shed, was commended for the way it blended in with the stark landscape of the Perthshire village of Meigle.

Built around two storage barns, its earthen brick palette is designed to match the agricultural buildings and tilled soil nearby. It was designed by Graeme Hutton, the dean of the Dundee School of Architecture, and David Jameson, the chartered architect who died two years ago at the age of 37.

His former colleagues at Leadingham Jameson Rogers & Hynd, where he was a partner, yesterday paid tribute, recalling how he worked long hours, seven days a week, in order to complete projects before his death.

"It was a tragedy when David died so young. He was an immensely talented person, and it was incredible what he did," said Bob Hynd, a partner at the Dundee firm. "In the end, he died of cancer, but he had gone through dialysis for years.

"He ended up working 12 or 13 hours a day, seven days a week. He knew his time was short."

Mr Hynd added: "we always compared David to an Edwardian gentleman. He never raised his voice, swore, or had a bad word to say about planning departments. I'm sure he'd be absolutely delighted."

Other winning entries included the Beatson Institute, a cancer research facility for the University of Glasgow and Cancer Research UK. Designed by Reiach & Hall, the building takes the form of the crystalline cube.

Professor Gerry Grams, Glasgow council's city design adviser, said the building oozed "cool".

Pollok Civic Realm, a community and health centre in the deprived district of Glasgow, was also recognised. Home to a caf, museum, library and employment centre, its design is envisaged as a "physical bridge" between the community and a shopping centre nearby.

David Dunbar, the president of the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland, said: "We are delighted that Scotland has come up with such a strong list of winners. These buildings are undoubtedly among the best in the UK and a great credit to Scotland's architects."

The four other winning Scottish entries are Moore Street Housing, North Glasgow College and the Printworks, all in Glasgow, and Edinburgh University's Potterrow Development.

Elsewhere, there some unlikely winners, including a multi-storey car park, supermarkets, high-street shops and an observatory.