RICS (Royal Institution for Chartered Surveyors) has announced the winners of the inaugural RICS Social Impact Awards for Scotland – and Edinburgh Printmakers has won the esteemed title of Project of the Year.
35 construction projects, who’s entries celebrate the role of property professionals in transforming Scottish communities and the everyday lives of people, were shortlisted back in February.
Eight projects have now been successful as category winners, with Edinburgh Printmakers selected by judges as Project of the Year.
The awards – which are supporting The Prince’s Trust campaign to get more young people into construction – were launched earlier this year to find the best examples of developments delivering economic, social or environmental improvements for their communities; therefore, recognising the real estate industry’s vital role in society.
All of the Scottish winners were announced in a digital awards ceremony revealed by RICS this afternoon. They are:
- PROJECT OF THE YEAR: EDINBURGH PRINTMAKERS
- Commercial: TECA – creating a world-class events and leisure complex
- Education: University of Glasgow Campus Development
- Healthcare: Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice
- Heritage: Edinburgh Printmakers
- Infrastructure: Glenrothes Energy Network
- Leisure: The Fraser Centre
- Residential: North Sighthill Regeneration
- Student Accommodation: Baird’s Close Two
The new home of Edinburgh Printmakers is located within what was once the HQ of the North British Rubber Company (NBRC) in Fountainbridge. The NBRC building is the only surviving structure from the once large and important nineteenth century Castle Mills industrial complex.
The project involved the redevelopment of this derelict building into a multi-use arts complex centred around printmaking production. The approach of the project team involved “making precise contemporary interventions to facilitate the new use while respecting the character and story of the existing building”.
RICS Social Impact Awards Head Judge for Scotland, Colin Smith (Turley Head of Planning, Scotland), commented: “The Edinburgh Printmakers project has saved and creatively adapted one of the last vestiges of the industrial and social history of Fountainbridge, the former headquarters of the North British Rubber Factory.
“The project has ingeniously inserted a range of public facing new uses into the building, respecting its fabric, character and heritage, and done so in a way that provides access for all throughout and which opens the building out to engage with its emerging surroundings. It is a multi-faceted gem.”
He continued: “The built environment is an integral part of the Scottish economy but also makes a positive impact on our everyday lives. In these challenging times, it is warming to reflect on these winning projects, and how they are not only a demonstration of the breadth of talent within the profession, but showcase how buildings can make towns and cities across the country more inclusive and deliver communities which people can be proud of.”