Preview: Scottish Home Awards 2014

It is time to declare the best performances of the year, says Kirsty McLuckie

38A Barnton Avenue, by Richmond Homes. Picture: Contributed

Over 400 representatives from 55 companies in the Scottish house building industry are ready to celebrate the best in new house building in the seventh annual Scottish Home Awards which takes place in Edinburgh tonight. The annual celebration sponsored by Ross & Liddell, presents prizes in 18 categories ranging across all budgets from affordable first time buyer flats to rural designer homes.

The battle for the ultimate prize, Scotland’s Housebuilder of the Year sponsored by Space and Time Media, is a three way contest between Quartermile, Mactaggart and Mickel and Springfield Properties. All had proven to the panel that they had delivered a significant year of business improving their performance while also delivering homes to their respective target markets.

The bulk of the prizes will be shared across the house builder community in a range of targeted categories which have a number of private building companies celebrating as finalists, including Springfield, Mactaggart and Mickel, Barratt Homes, CALA, Cruden and Bett Homes.

Low volume builders creating less than 100 homes in the last year, will also be awarded their own best in the business prize, with Perthshire based Corryard taking on S1 Developments and Westpoint Homes.

Andrew Cunningham, Ross and Liddell, who is also a member of the judging panel commented, “The quality and volume of the submissions were impressive and we are delighted to support the housing industry with this event, which is the premier national awards programme for new housing in Scotland.”

While the industry gets ready to celebrate, organisers are keen to promote the charitable function of The Scottish Home Awards which is raising funds for charity It’s Good 2 Give. The charity, which helps support families which children affected by cancer, has big ambitions to build its own project, The Ripple Retreat, a large detached designed home on the banks of Loch Venacher near Callander.

Kirsten Speirs, Director of KDMedia, says “The Ripple Retreat will be much loved luxury retreat gifted to families who are struggling with the demands of caring for a child with cancer. I am hugely inspired by the work of Lynne McNicoll in her tireless dedication to raising money and supporting families in need. I hope that our guests can assist Lynne with the building of this important project by giving generously tonight.”

The entries have been judged on a range of criteria including energy efficiency, location, design and materials and marketing and incentives and the decisions were made following assessments made by the judges and also following a judges debate held in Edinburgh.

Decisions were often tough, particularly in the Affordable Housing Development category for Housing Associations which received entries from a staggering 22 developments. The judging panel, made up of industry experts, agreed to split this category into two awards based on the size of the developments. 13 entries made the finalist lists in both categories. In the small development category sponsored by Aareon UK, Barratt Homes in Kirkliston were highlighted alongside Chap Homes for the Donside Urban Village in Aberdeen. While Choice at Craigmillar received another slot next to bespoke builder Studio Dub for a project in Bonnyrigg.

It’s a battle between East and West in the larger affordable Housing Development of the Year sponsored by Bank of Scotland with seven projects in the running from Govan, Partick, Kirkintilloch and Paisley taking on three majors in Edinburgh delivered by Hillcrest Housing Association, Places for People and Port of Leith Housing Association.

Housing associations will also be directly rewarded for both development success and in the delivery of services to tenants. The Housing Association of the Year award will be announced between Caledonia Housing Association and Hillcrest Housing Association. Another prize for smaller associations with under 100 units to service will also be presented.

Once again this year, the judges recognised the importance of major projects brought together through collaboration between private enterprise, local services and communities. The Community Partnership of the Year brought to light a range of projects large and small, such as the Ibroxholm Oval in Glasgow, the Oxgangs Regeneration in Edinburgh, Calderwood Village in Coatbridge and the larger scale success of the Commonwealth Games Athletes Village in Glasgow from City Legacy. Work to develop St Martin’s Church in Edinburgh and Port of Leith Housing Associations project in Great Junction Street in the Leith area of the city also received praise.

The provision of design led housing allowed time to debate the merits of the baronial grandeur of Inchnadamph House compared with its low budget neighbour Sidhean Mor, created by a highland based designer, CH Architecture.

Over 400 guests will be welcomed tonight by DJ hosts Grant Stott and Arlene Stuart of Forth One. You can follow all the action as it emerges on Twitter @homeawards #homeawards14

• For further information on the programme visit www.scottishhomeawards.com

Tonight sees the Scottish Home Awards presented, but which of these finalists will pick up the prize in each category?

Affordable Housing Development of the Year (private builders)

Barratt Homes - Kirkliston Development, West Lothian

Chap Homes and Halliday Fraser Munro - Donside Urban Village, Aberdeen

Cruden Homes (East) Ltd / Places for People Scotland - Choice, Craigmillar, Edinburgh

Studio DuB - 29a Eskdale Terrace, Bonnyrigg, Midlothian

Large Affordable Housing Development of the Year (Housing Associations) sponsored by Aareon UK

Anderson Bell Christie (Govan Housing Association) - Vicarfield Street, Govan

Coltart Earley Architecture (Partick Housing Association) - Centurion Way, Partick, Glasgow

Grant Murray Architects Ltd (Hillhead Housing Association) - Ivanhoe Drive, Kirkintilloch

Hillcrest Housing Association - Q10, Wharton Square, Edinburgh

Loretto Housing association – Charleston Square, Paisley

Places for People / Cooper Cromar - Lighthouse Court, Edinburgh

Port of Leith Housing Association - Lindsay Road, Edinburgh

Small Affordable Housing Development of the Year (Housing Associations) sponsored by Bank of Scotland

Anderson Bell Christie for South Ayrshire Council - Forehill Development, Ayr

Austin Smith Lord – Burns Wynd

Caledonia Housing Association - Assynt Road, Inverness

Caledonia Housing Association - Herald Building, Arbroath

Eildon Housing Association - Old School Place, Lauder

Link Group Ltd - Gulliver Street, Edinburgh

Link Group Ltd – Tannahill Crescent, Johnstone

Port of Leith Housing Association - Magdalene Drive, Edinburgh

Architectural Excellence Award (single dwelling) sponsored by Stephens & George Print Group

ANTA Design - Inchndamaph House, Sutherland

ARKA Architects / GRS Homes - ‘Dalia’ - Queens Drive, Falkirk

CH Architecture - Sidhean Mor, Sutherland

Chambers McMillan – The Ramp House, Portobello, Edinburgh

Denholm Partnership Architects - The Ferry House, Loch Creran, near Oban

Reiach and Hall Architects & Shane M Scott - 4 Graham Place, Stromness, Orkney

THCL & Scott Strachan Architects - 1 Cuthill Towers, Milnathort, Kinross

City Apartment of the Year sponsored by Scotland on Sunday

Bett Homes - The Burrell, Richmond Gate, Oatlands, Glasgow

City Legacy – The Water Lilly at the Athletes’ Village, Glasgow

Quartermile - Plot 7.04, New Meadows, Edinburgh

Wemyss Properties Limited - Polworth Terrace, Edinburgh

Community Partnership of the Year

City Legacy – Commonwealth Games Athletes Village, Glasgow

Dundas Estates - Calderwood Village, Coatbridge

Dunedin Canmore - Oxgangs Regeneration, Edinburgh

Glasgow Housing Association, part of Wheatley Group - Ibroxholm Oval, Glasgow

Ian Springford architects - Redevelopment of St Martin’s Church, Edinburgh

Port of Leith Housing Association - Great Junction Street, Edinburgh

Springfield Properties PLC - Muirhouse, Edinburgh

Conversion of the Year sponsored by Daw Signs

AMA (New Town) Ltd - Marchmont School Redevelopment, Edinburgh

Corryard - Benheath House, Creiff, Perth

EMA Architects & Planview Ltd - Howden House, West Lothian

EMA Architects & Wilkie Construction - Luggate Steading, East Lothian

Lorn MacNeal Architects - St Andrews Court, Gullane

Tulloch of Cummingston Ltd - Mains of Struthers Steadings, Kinloss

Wemyss Properties Limited - Woodside Terrace, Glasgow

Housing Development of the Year (private builders) sponsored by CUPA PIZARRAS

Barratt Homes - Castlewell, Aberdeenshire

CALA Homes (East) Ltd - Gilsland Grange, North Berwick

Mactaggart & Mickel Homes - Hillpark, Edinburgh

Mactaggart & Mickel Homes - Polnoon Phase 1, Eaglesham

Quartermile, Edinburgh

S1 Developments - Ellersly Road, Edinburgh

Springfield Properties - Duncansfield, Elgin

Stewart Milne Homes - Sunnymead, Uddingston

House of the Year

Bett Homes - The Tetbury, Kingswell

CALA Homes (West) Ltd - The Darroch at Earl’s View, Woodilie Village, Lenzie

Chambers McMillan - The Ramp House, Bellfield Lane Development, Edinburgh

City Legacy - The Lotus at the Athletes’ Village, Glasgow

GRS Homes Ltd & Arka Architects - Townhouse 1 - Comely Place, Falkirk

Mactaggart & Mickel Homes - The Bressay, Thornybank Green, Dalkeith

Snowdrop Developments – The Chestnut House, Ecclesgreig Gardens, Aberdeenshire

Rural Development of the Year sponsored by The Scotsman

CALA Homes (West) Ltd - The Collection, St Quivox, Ayrshire

Cruden Homes (East) Ltd - The Orchard, Penicuik, Midlothian

EMA Architects & Wilkie Construction - Luggate Steading, East Lothian

North Ayrshire Council – St Beya Gardens, Isle of Cumbrae

Sales & Marketing Excellence Award sponsored by Wolffe

Barratt Homes

City Legacy - The Village in the New East End, Glasgow

Quartermile, Edinburgh

Springfield Properties

Senior Living Development of the Year

Midlothian Council - Cowan Court, Penicuik

North Ayrshire Council – St Beya Gardens, Isle of Cumbrae

Show Home of the Year sponsored by Designer Contracts

Barratt Homes - Den of Pitfodels, Aberdeen

Bett Homes - The Hexham, Helenslee View, Dumbarton

CALA Homes (East) Ltd - The MacRae, Gilsland Grange, North Berwick

Springfield Properties PLC - The Culbin, Duncansfield, Elgin

Starter Home of the Year sponsored by Ross and Liddell

Bett Homes - The Coleford, Aspect, Wishaw

City Legacy - The Thistle at the Athletes’ village, Glasgow

GRS Homes Ltd & Arka Architects - House 1b - Comely Place

Mactaggart & Mickel - Oronsay, , Greenan Views, Doonfoot

Springfield Properties PLC – The Dallachy, Letterfourie, Buckie

Stewart Milne Homes North - The Alder, Various Locations

Small Housing Association of the Year

The judges will announce their winner on the 19th of June.

Housing Association of the Year

Caledonia Housing Association

Hillcrest Housing Association

Small House Builder of the Year sponsored by Close Brothers

Corryard

S1 Developments

Westpoint Homes

House Builder of the Year sponsored by Space and Time Media

Mactaggart & Mickel Group

Quartermile

Springfield Properties PLC