{"id":441984,"date":"2025-09-21T23:28:18","date_gmt":"2025-09-21T23:28:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/441984\/"},"modified":"2025-09-21T23:28:18","modified_gmt":"2025-09-21T23:28:18","slug":"rias-unveils-shortlist-for-scotlands-best-building-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/441984\/","title":{"rendered":"RIAS unveils shortlist for Scotland’s best building 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

A bridge<\/a> lined with local granite<\/a> and the restoration<\/a> of a remote tower in the Scottish Highlands are among the four buildings shortlisted for RIAS<\/a>‘ 2025 Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland award.<\/p>\n

Also on the shortlist is a public space<\/a> regeneration project in Aberdeen and a teaching hub for the University of Edinburgh.<\/p>\n

\"GairnshielA bridge made from local granite is on the shortlist. Above and top photo by Simon Kennedy<\/p>\n

Held annually by the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland<\/a> (RIAS), the Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland award was launched in 2002 and named in memory of Scottish architect Andy Doolan.<\/p>\n

According to the award jury, this year’s shortlisted projects celebrate the ways the architecture industry works alongside other built environment disciplines, such as urban design and infrastructure.<\/p>\n

\"FairburnAlso shortlisted is Simpson and Brown’s restoration of Fairburn Tower. Photo by Landmark<\/p>\n

“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,” said jury chair Mary Duggan.<\/p>\n

“They reveal how architecture can reinforce, respond to, and even anticipate these changes.”<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"The<\/p>\n

Burrell Collection museum in Glasgow named Scotland’s best new building\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

Edinburgh-based studio Simpson and Brown<\/a>‘s restoration of Fairburn Tower in the Highlands is one of the shortlisted projects this year.<\/p>\n

Having fallen into disrepair, the studio transformed the remote 16th-century tower into a holiday rental for the\u00a0Landmark Trust<\/a> charity.<\/p>\n

\"UnionStallan Brand and LDA Design’s regeneration of Union Terrace Gardens is in contention to win the award. Photo by Andrew Lee<\/p>\n

Also shortlisted is the Union Terrace Gardens public realm regeneration project in Aberdeen, where Glasgow-based architecture studio Stallan Brand<\/a> and London-based landscape architecture studio LDA Design<\/a> added three pavilion-like buildings containing a cafe, restaurant and wine bar.<\/p>\n

The studios also enhanced the park’s green spaces and restored its\u00a0statues, railings, arcade arches and underground Victorian toilets.<\/p>\n

\"UnionThree newly added buildings in the park contain a cafe, restaurant and wine bar. Photo by Andrew Lee<\/p>\n

The third shortlisted project is Gairnshiel Jubilee Bridge in Aberdeenshire by local studio Moxon Architects<\/a>. The studio was shortlisted in last year’s awards<\/a> for its renovation of 19th-century farm buildings into a guesthouse and private artist’s studio.<\/p>\n

Made from weathering steel<\/a> and recycled, locally sourced granite, Gairnshiel Jubilee Bridge was built to draw vehicle traffic away from a Category A-listed bridge further upstream.<\/p>\n

\"NucleusThe Nucleus Building was designed by Sheppard Robson for the University of Edinburgh. Photo by Keth Hunter<\/p>\n

The final project on the shortlist is the Nucleus Building at the University of Edinburgh, which was designed by British architecture studio Sheppard Robson<\/a> as an educational hub for staff and students to teach, study and socialise.<\/p>\n

Alongside Duggan, founder of Mary Duggan Architects<\/a>, this year’s jury consisted of design consultant Gordon Murray and Architects’ Journal<\/a> news editor Richard Waite.<\/p>\n

\"NucleusThe university building was created as a hub for students and staff. Photo by Keth Hunter<\/p>\n

Last year, the Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland award was won by British studio John McAslan + Partners<\/a> for its renovation of the Burrell Collection<\/a>\u00a0museum\u00a0in\u00a0Glasgow<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In 2023, a remote\u00a0house named Cuddymoss<\/a>\u00a0by architecture practice\u00a0Ann Nisbet Studio<\/a> became the first one-off residence to ever win the award.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A bridge lined with local granite and the restoration of a remote tower in the Scottish Highlands are…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":441985,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5009],"tags":[748,4884,149411,712,126129,126130,126131,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-441984","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-scotland","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-great-britain","10":"tag-royal-incorporation-of-architects-in-scotland","11":"tag-scotland","12":"tag-sectionall","13":"tag-sectionarchitecture","14":"tag-sectionnews","15":"tag-uk","16":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115244887031441142","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/441984","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=441984"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/441984\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/441985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=441984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=441984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=441984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}