HOUSES, holiday lets, a cafe and an offgrid woodland hut are the winners of this year’s Dumfries and Galloway Design Awards.
Run by the council, the awards aim to celebrate and honour remarkable projects that contribute to the enhancement of the area’s built environment.
The six winners were all completed between April 2019 and March 2023 and showcase the diverse and innovative design talent locally.
They are:
- New Housing in Castle Crescent, Closeburn by John Gilbert Architects, owned by Nith Valley LEAF Trust: a terrace of three units, designed to Passivhaus standards and one of the first community-owned homes.
- Replacement house at Hazelrig, by Balmaclellan by architects Graeme Ditchburn and Simon Winstanley, built by GM Construction and owned by Colin and Susan Nimmo: an exemplary energy-efficient building, with a high standard of workmanship.
- Hemp House, Gatehouse of Fleet. Architect Rachel Bevan – architect, contractor George Shaw Associates and AG Turnbull & S Walter, owners: The new house was built to minimise its environmental impact, both through the use of Hempcrete and locally sourced reused materials.
- The Gather, Laggan by Adam James, of New Space Architecture and 3B Construction for owner Duncan McConchie: The judges appreciated the choice of location with southerly views to the Islands of Fleet. The cafe building is a simple timber clad box with a fully glazed façade and is unobtrusive in the landscape setting.
- Glentrool Hive remodelling by John Gilbert Architects and Broatch Construction for Glentrool & Bargrennan Community Trust. The former school dates back to 1954 and has been transformed by the trust as a core integrated regeneration project in the heart of the village featuring a holiday let.
- Coo Palace redevelopment, Borgue by 3B Construction and JMP Architects Ltd for HPB. This was the re-use of a historic listed building and associated redevelopment of the site for holiday accommodation – see above
Highly commended
- Conversion and extension for re-use of former Harbour master’s Office, Stranraer
- Replacement house at Whitehill, Kirkandrews
- Conversion of category B stables and associated housing development at Lincluden Stables
- Off-grid Woodland hut, Clifton and Black Sea Woods
The judging panel was comprised of professionals in architecture, planning, and design and member Mark Douglas said: “This year’s Design Awards attracted 35 entrants from across the region and covered a variety of projects, large and small, including the reuse of existing buildings as well as new build projects.
“There was definitely a strong theme of sustainability running through all the projects.
“It is hoped that the projects that have been given awards and commendations can be used as positive examples of good design to encourage future developments in the region.”
Congratulating the winners, Cllr Ian Carruthers, added: “The awards not only showcase the talent and creativity of architects and professionals but also highlight the importance of good design in our communities.”
A display of the Design Award entries will be up at the Ewart Library until October 9.
