Twenty seven of the most innovative and community beneficial property projects from across Scotland are set to go against some of the region’s best in this year’s RICS Awards 2018, Scotland. Among them are the residential developments in Leith’s Fort (above) and 235 Corstorphine Road. Continue reading Leith ‘s Fort development up for ‘property Oscar’
A LEADING housing and care specialist has launched its annual search to find the brightest and best new innovations to help those with disabilities. The Blackwood Design Awards seek to celebrate the brilliant new designs, technologies and adaptations which help people with disabilities to live life to the full. Continue reading Do You Have Designs To Help People With Disabilities?
People to have say in the design of their area
Communities across Scotland can bid to take part in a new £325,000 scheme to regenerate their neighbourhood, Local Government Minister Kevin Stewart has announced. The Making Places Initiative will help bring communities together to agree improvements for their area based on local need and priorities.
The expanded scheme has grown from the success of a previous Charette programme which teamed local people with design professionals to look at what would improve their places and communities. This new initiative will continue to offer support for events of this type alongside more comprehensive support to deliver on these ideas.
Minister for Local Government Kevin Stewart said: “From the Borders to the Western Isles, the people who live, work and socialise in our communities have the best local knowledge to consider how that place should evolve and regenerate and I would encourage people across the country to consider applying.
“This new Making Places Initiative allows more opportunities for communities to choose what works for them. It takes the success we’ve seen through community collaboration and increases the focus on encouraging and enabling more and more people to become involved.”
A design dubbed “The Hobbit House” has won the competition to create a new outdoor concert arena to replace the Ross Bandstand in Princes Street Gardens. American firm wHY beat off stiff competition from 125 teams from 22 countries to design the £25m project. Continue reading And wHY not? US ‘Hobbit House’ to replace Ross Bandstand
Chair replicates riding motion to provide home therapy for autistic children
Autistic children could soon receive the benefits of equine therapy from the comfort of their own home thanks to a unique chair design by an Edinburgh Napier student. Fourth year Callum Hunter has designed ‘U Rock’ – a therapy chair that replicates the movement of a horse when walking – as part of his final year project at the University. Continue reading A horse in the home: Callum designs equine therapy chair
It’s that most versatile of foodstuffs. traditionally enjoyed scrambled, poached, boiled or fried. But eggs could soon be appearing on tables in a way never seen before thanks to the work of an Edinburgh Napier student. Continue reading Napier’s Martina has a cracking idea!
Edinburgh fashion design studentMorag Seaton is one of three talented young designers showcasing garments from their new collections to celebrate tickets going on sale for this year’s The Glasgow School of Art Fashion Show 2017. Continue reading Galleries showcase for young fashion designers
A house in the New Town designed by Richard Murphy Architects has won the accolade of RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) House of the Year. The unusual property in Hart Street is architect Richard Murpy’s own home and the house beat off strong competition to win the coveted award. Continue reading New Town dwelling is RIBA Home of the Year
Communities to have their say in the design of their area
Communities across Scotland will have the chance to map out the future of their towns with design experts. The Scottish Government is launching two funds to allow people to have a direct role in making their towns and villages better places to live.
Funding of £300,000 is available across two grant schemes – the Design Charrettes programme and the Activating Ideas Fund.
Charrettes bring together the public, stakeholders and designers over a number of days to draw up viable proposals, while the Activating Ideas fund will support participation and empowerment initiatives in disadvantaged areas.
Minister for Local Government Kevin Stewart said: “The quality of our places has an important influence on our lives. This Government is committed to empowering communities and involving them in the planning process.
“We have already seen really good examples of this in the few years since the charrettes programme has been running. In Maybole the Community Association and Community Council sourced additional funding to modernise and improve access to the Town Hall gardens. And in Girvan there is a successful plan for a new swimming facility which is due to open in 2017 following the closure of the local pool.
“Local communities have a wealth of knowledge about their local area. Bringing communities together with design expertise will enable ideas and proposals to be developed to deliver positive change. This initiative provides a way of enabling people across Scotland to have their say on the long- term future of their community.”
Scotland’s MSPs to receive unique, hand-made ceramics to mark the Year of Architecture, Innovation and Design
Scotland’s political leaders are to be gifted unique hand-made ceramics created by some of Scotland’s leading female architects to mark 2016 as the Year of Architecture, Innovation and Design in Scotland.
‘The Better Days’ project is the brain child of prominent architect Jude Barber (above) and seeks to raise questions and awareness about Scotland’s political aspirations for architecture and stimulate renewed thought and discussion on the built environment.
The project is part of a busy programme of special events planned to celebrate the Saltire Society’s 80th anniversary year and was inspired by the Saltire Society’s seminal 1944 publication ‘Building Scotland’, by Alan Reiach and Robert Hurd.
The powerful and poetic foreword to the publication, written by the then Secretary of State for Scotland Thomas Johnston, forms the main driver for the project. It says:
“And in this beautiful land of ours, the free people who inhabit it, and who have paid such a high price for their freedom, will, in the better days that are to be, surely insist that the architecture of their buildings, public and private, shall be worthy of them.”
Every MSP will be gifted with an individually crafted ceramic containing words and forms derived from Jude Barber’s ‘The Better Days’ publication, accompanied with an invitation to consider the important role that architecture and design plays within our everyday lives.
‘The Better Days’ is being exhibited at Project Spaces in Glasgow until 9th July and forms part of the Archi-Fringe 2016 programme. Following conclusion of the exhibition, all of the Scottish Parliament’s 129 elected members will each receive their own ceramic as a permanent souvenir of the Year of Architecture, Innovation and Design.
Meanwhile, Jude will join award winning architects Malcolm Fraser and Neil Gillespie OBE this Thursday (7 July) at South Block, Glasgow, for a panel discussion on the themes that have emerged in their exploration of contemporary Scottish architecture. Tickets are free and available from the Saltire Society’s website – www.saltiresociety.org.uk/
Ahead of the panel discussion, Jude Barber said: “I am really looking forward to Thursday’s event and for what I’m sure will be a stimulating discussion about our built environment and the challenges and possibilities facing Scottish architecture and place making.”
“Malcolm, Neil and I all have something in common; a strong desire to improve the built environment in this country, and I hope that this event, their pamphlets and my ‘Better Days’ project will bring a renewed focus to architecture’s important role and how it greatly enhances our day to day lives.”
Malcolm Fraser’s pamphlet ‘Shoddy Schools and Fancy Finance: the miss-selling of PFI’ and Neil Gillespie’s ‘Building Scotland’ publication, which have been created as part of the Saltire Society’s 80th anniversary programme, will be available to purchase after the discussion.
