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Your Architecture and Design Scotland Newsletter, December

Like others this year, our team adapted quickly to the extraordinary impact of the global pandemic. As a result, we still managed to run many of our workshops, seminars and awards events, including the publication of our Carbon Conscious Places report, the 2020 A&DS/RIAS Student Awards, our range of advice work and the support we provide to our many and varied networks. I am grateful to every one of the team for their efforts and to our Board for their support throughout. I also want to thank our partners across the country - from your generous contributions to the development of our new strategy to the many shared endeavours you worked with us to deliver, it has been a privilege to work with each of you.

 

So, as we draw towards the end of a year like no other, I find myself reflecting on how extraordinarily resilient people are and how despite everything, a spirit of collaboration has thrived amidst the challenges. In 2020, the places where we live took on new meaning and, as our horizons shrank during lockdown, our appreciation of the importance of our places grew. Looking forward, this provides an opportunity to renew our collective commitment to working together to create great places.

 

On behalf of all the team at A&DS and our Board, let me take this opportunity to thank you again for your support in 2020 and to wish you all the best for the festive season and the year ahead.

 

Jim MacDonald, Chief Executive

 

PS - In this newsletter we have included an introduction to a place based approach to housing and some examples of offsite construction to inspire us ahead of 2021.

More about A&DS here

A black and white illustration explaining the place based approach, featuring people, buildings, paths and text bubbles

Introducing A Place Based Approach to Housing

Poor quality places aren’t just bad for the people living there. Over time they can lead to significant costs for the public sector, while failing to tackle the big issues like climate change and inequalities. We know there are many challenges for those who plan, design, and deliver our places.

 

So, what can be done to reduce costs and get more and better designed places? Watch our short animation to find out more…

Watch the animation

A wall element being lifted by a crane

Blog: Offsite for diversification not standardisation

A reflection on A&DS new Housing Case studies by Robert Hairstans, head of the Centre for Offsite Construction + Innovative Structures (COCIS) within Edinburgh Napier University's Institute for Sustainable Construction.

Read more

The Scottish Home Awards Logo

Scottish Housing Awards

We’ve been pleased to support the Scottish Housing Awards. It was particularly pleasing to see winning entries demonstrating increased environmental and social impact.

 

The House of the Year and the Innovation in Design winners were terrace designs, a house type inherently efficient in material use and thermal performance, which also increases the walkability of neighbourhoods. Affordable housing developments showed how co-design with communities aids social cohesion rather than displace vulnerable communities, and a new award highlighted the role of blue green infrastructure in sustainable placemaking.

 

Our congratulations to all the winners, and to the sector for showing the type of practice we need to face the challenges of the future.

Find the winning projects here

An illustration for place skills for housing, featuring a google pin and a compass

Place Skills for Housing Module 1 – Locating for Place Quality

The focus of the Place Skills for Housing series is on supporting better place quality through considering location and place priorities for new housing led developments, as one important element of whole place planning.

 

This skills module recognises the important role that Local Development and Housing Investment Plans play in establishing principles about the location and form of housing led development which impact on place quality.

Read more

Case Study: Using Offsite Construction for Housing Delivery in Scotland

What does an offsite house look like? What should you consider when aiming to deliver an offsite housing project? How does it feel to occupy an offsite house, and what examples are there across Scotland?

 

This Case Study focusses on four offsite housing projects in Scotland as well as summarising the practicalities and challenges of delivering housing offsite in Scotland.

 

The featured housing projects are:

- Heritage Way, Fraserburgh by Gokay Deveci

- Bath Street Collective Custom Build by John Kinsley Architects

- Ulva Ferry Housing by Thorne Wyness Architects

- Skye Mobile Micro Home by Ann Nisbet Studio

Read the case study

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