{"id":152605,"date":"2025-09-22T06:42:20","date_gmt":"2025-09-22T06:42:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/152605\/"},"modified":"2025-09-22T06:42:20","modified_gmt":"2025-09-22T06:42:20","slug":"tower-road-bridge-university-and-garden-make-architecture-final","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/152605\/","title":{"rendered":"Tower, road bridge, university and garden make architecture final"},"content":{"rendered":"

Image gallerySkip image gallery<\/a>\"InteriorImage source, LandmarkImage caption, <\/p>\n

The interior of Fairburn Tower has been turned into a luxurious holiday let<\/p>\n

\"FairburnImage source, LandmarkImage caption, <\/p>\n

The stairwell in Fairburn Tower reveals the age of the ancient building<\/p>\n

\"AImage source, LandmarkImage caption, <\/p>\n

A bedroom in Fairburn Tower shows the sympathetic renovation, which has retained ceiling beams and kept features of the original design such as wooden doors and shutters <\/p>\n

\"AnImage source, Simon KennedyImage caption, <\/p>\n

Gairnshiel Jubilee Bridge melts into its surroundings, making little impact on the stunning landscape<\/p>\n

\"AnImage source, Simon KennedyImage caption, <\/p>\n

Gairnshiel Jubilee Bridge is a clean design which sits peacefully in its surroundings<\/p>\n

\"AnImage source, Keth HunterImage caption, <\/p>\n

The Nucleus at Edinburgh University has been designed as a focal point for students and staff<\/p>\n

\"AImage source, Keth HunterImage caption, <\/p>\n

The University wanted to create a “heart” of the campus<\/p>\n

\"AImage source, Keth HunterImage caption, <\/p>\n

The Nucleus contains modern working and teaching areas <\/p>\n

\"AImage source, Andrew LeeImage caption, <\/p>\n

Union Terrace Gardens has been regenerated as a civic space for Aberdeen<\/p>\n

\"AImage source, Andrew LeeImage caption, <\/p>\n

Aberdeen city centre has been transformed with the new gardens<\/p>\n

\"AImage source, Andrew LeeImage caption, <\/p>\n

Union Terrace Gardens’ redesign includes three lantern-like pavilions<\/p>\n

Slide 1 of 11, Interior view of a luxurious sitting room in Fairburn Tower – with a painted ceiling, wall hangings, plush rugs, a log burner and several lamps to brighten up the space., The interior of Fairburn Tower has been turned into a luxurious holiday let<\/p>\n

Four drastically different projects have been named as finalists in a prestigious architecture award.<\/p>\n

A 16th Century tower in the Highlands, a road bridge in Aberdeenshire, a multi-use space at Edinburgh University and a regeneration of part of Union Terrace Garden in Aberdeen have made the shortlist in the Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award.<\/p>\n

Run by The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS), it is the country’s foremost architecture accolade.<\/p>\n

The winner will be announced in December.<\/p>\n

The shortlist was selected from the winners of the 2025 RIAS Awards, which were announced in June. <\/p>\n

An expert jury, including architects and designers, will visit each project before deciding on the ultimate winner.<\/p>\n

Judges will score on architectural integrity, usability and context, delivery and execution, and sustainability.<\/p>\n

Mary Duggan, chair of the 2025 Doolan Award jury, said: “This year’s rigorous selection process has produced a diverse shortlist of intelligent schemes that not only demonstrate architectural excellence but also engage directly with the shifting political and behavioural circumstances that shape our public life.<\/p>\n

“They reveal how architecture can reinforce, respond to, and even anticipate these changes. I look forward to the upcoming visits and the conversations with my fellow jury members.”<\/p>\n

Here are the four finalists:<\/p>\n

Fairburn Tower (Muir of Ord, Highlands) by Simpson & Brown<\/p>\n

\"AImage source, LandmarkImage caption, <\/p>\n

Fairburn Tower dates back to the Scottish Renaissance and has been restored sympathetically<\/p>\n

Built in the 16th Century and added to in the 17th, this remote Category A listed structure is a rare example of a surviving tower house from the Scottish Renaissance. <\/p>\n

Having fallen into a state of disrepair, it was on the Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland before the Landmark Trust identified the potential to rescue the tower and turn it into a self-catering holiday let.<\/p>\n

The design was drawn up with great sympathy and close attention to detail – balancing authentic restoration with a creative, sustainable retrofit.<\/p>\n

Challenges such as installing electrical cabling, plumbing and bathrooms were inventively overcome.<\/p>\n

Key features include a Renaissance-style painted ceiling, created in collaboration with artist-craftsman Paul Mowbray.<\/p>\n

Gairnshiel Jubilee Bridge (Glengairn, Aberdeenshire) by Moxon Architects<\/p>\n

\"DroneImage source, Simon KennedyImage caption, <\/p>\n

Gairnshiel Jubilee Bridge takes traffic away from a nearby bridge which is now for pedestrians only<\/p>\n

The Gairnshiel Jubilee Bridge is a new route over the River Gairn.<\/p>\n

It was designed to take traffic away from the nearby Category A-listed Gairnshiel Bridge, which is no longer suitable for modern-day traffic.<\/p>\n

The understated new crossing features a slimline, bold geometry.<\/p>\n

It is constructed from recycled, locally sourced granite for the parapets and embankments and weathering steel for the primary structure, rooting the new bridge into its immediate context of the Cairngorms.<\/p>\n

The bridge offers a offers a simple, but confident companion to the historic crossing, which has been set aside for pedestrian use to safeguard this for future generations.<\/p>\n

The Nucleus Building, University of Edinburgh (Edinburgh) by Sheppard Robson<\/p>\n

\"AImage source, Keith HunterImage caption, <\/p>\n

The Nucleus Building is the new heart of Edinburgh University<\/p>\n

The Nucleus was designed as a new heart for the University of Edinburgh. The building is a focal point for and meeting place for students and staff, bringing together teaching, learning and social environments.<\/p>\n

From quiet individual spaces to lively meeting areas, the construction supports different ways of studying, teaching and socialising.<\/p>\n

It not only creates a resilient and responsive learning environment for a world-leading academic community, but also seeks to enhance the wider student and staff experience.<\/p>\n

The Nucleus Building is a considered, enduring and generous example of civic architecture that sets a powerful precedent for Scottish university design.<\/p>\n

Union Terrace Gardens (Aberdeen) by Stallan-Brand Architecture + Design & LDA Design<\/p>\n

\"AImage source, Andrew LeeImage caption, <\/p>\n

Renovations have revived the space and reclaimed the gardens as the city’s green, civic heart.<\/p>\n

Aberdeen’s much-loved and well-known public space, Union Terrace Gardens, has been transformed through this ambitious public realm regeneration project.<\/p>\n

Extensive landscaping and engineering work and the construction of three lantern-like pavilions accommodating a caf\u00e9, restaurant and wine bar, have revived the space and reclaimed the gardens as the city’s green, civic heart. <\/p>\n

The project included conservation elements including the sensitively restored statues, railings, arcade arches and subterranean Victorian toilets \u2013 now proudly reinstated and open to the public.<\/p>\n

As a result, Union Terrace Gardens is now a landmark destination that has transformed the city’s sense of place.<\/p>\n

The award, which was established 23 years ago in 2002, borrows its name from visionary Scottish architect\/developer Andy Doolan, who passionately believed in the importance of promoting great design and making architecture accessible to everyone.<\/p>\n

Doolan died in 2004.<\/p>\n

In his memory, the Doolan Award seeks to find and celebrate the best building in Scotland each year.<\/p>\n

Past winners include the Scottish Parliament building.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Image gallerySkip image galleryImage source, LandmarkImage caption, The interior of Fairburn Tower has been turned into a luxurious…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":152606,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[6225,6485,6486,1120,96,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-152605","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152605","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=152605"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152605\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/152606"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=152605"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=152605"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=152605"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}