Scottish Design Awards 2023

2023 winners are revealed

A bountiful Scottish Design Awards has seen hundreds of architects and designers gather for a celebration of creativity that was big on ideas, reach and surprises.

Highlights of 2023

Testimonials

What I loved most was walking away with a new respect for the design industry in Scotland. As a judge, we can sometimes have a very London-centric view of creative work. And that needs to change. So it was brilliant to see equally impactful and outstanding work coming from our neighbours in Scotland. I’ve always been blown away by the level of craft – packaging in particular. This year, it was the turn of the motion and experiential entries. Not only were they beautifully put together, but there was a clear and striking concept at the heart of the work.

Hiten Bhatt, Head of Design, RAPP

A very pleasant day spent chairing the Scottish Design Awards with informed, insightful colleagues. We reviewed a number of extraordinary projects, reaffirming that the standard of architecture and design across all project types by Scottish Architects is very high indeed and in a few cases exceptional.

Prof Alan Dunlop, Alan Dunlop Architect

I was delighted to be asked to judge the Scottish Design Awards this year. The standard of design and detail design was excellent in all Categories making it difficult to shortlist nominations particularly in the residential, public and commercial sectors. It was good to see the number of entries in the “Building re use category” which is encouraging for future sustainability and it was worth noting that the recent world pandemic hadn’t affected the completion of these innovative architectural gems.

Susan Stephen, Consultant Director, 56Three Architects, formerly Susan Stephen Architects

The entries to the Scottish Design Awards were a showcase of Scottish talent exemplifying innovation, renewal and sustainability over a wide range and size of projects. Having the opportunity to be a Judge was an exhilarating experience. There was much unanimity amongst the Judges across the various categories and design approaches demonstrating that exceptional design quality will shine through, enhancing the lives of those that live and occupy these various spaces.”

Annie Hampson, Former Chief Planning Officer, City of London Corporation

As a new judge this year for the Scottish Design Awards it has been encouraging to see first hand both the quality of the projects submitted but also the judging process itself. Whilst there is a wide range of projects submitted across a wider range of architectural categories, the quality generally is excellent with a number of categories where there is little between the top ranking submissions. It’s great to see so many Scottish practices producing such a high calibre of output, even during these strangest of times

Stephen Lewis, Managing Director, HFD Property Group Ltd

I was delighted to be asked and involved in the 2021 judging. It was a rewarding experience that I can describe as “good for the soul” – taking some time out to immerse yourself in others work and be inspired by what is possible. The categories that I particularly enjoyed judging were the “Design for good” and “Moving imagery design/animation”. What great talent we have in Scotland.

Vicki Miller, Director of Marketing & Digital, Visit Scotland

As a first time judge at the awards I was delighted to see not just incredible design craft on display, but bravery in thought and execution from the standout entries. Was I surprised? No. There’s always been an abundance of talent in Scotland, but to see it across a diverse range of creative disciplines was a real privilege to see. Congratulations to all of the worthy winners.

Steve Conchie, Creative Director, Brandon Consultant

The panel were blown away with the high standard of submitted work which will no doubt encourage better architecture and creative design throughout Scottish built environment. The introduction of the young architect of the year, allowed for the achievements of rising stars to be recognised and also encourages ambition, creativity and good work ethic within the architecture and design profession. As the standard of entries was so high some categories sparked great architectural debate!

Marina Strotz, President, Birmingham Architectural Association

This was my first time judging the Scottish Design Awards and I was incredibly impressed with the standard of the entries. Ingenuity, creativity and ambition were very much in evidence across all categories and budget levels with small projects and small budgets being no deterrent, and perhaps even an inventive, to some fierce and fabulous work. Congratulations to all the winners!”

MT Rainey OBE, Directory, Charlotte St Partners, Hays and Clearchannel

Judging the Scottish Design Awards 2020, and acting as chair, was a great experience. It reignited my interest and excitement in commercial, product and advertising design as well as feeding my love of graphic and exhibition design… I really appreciated the variety and quality of submissions, even though it made our job even harder! Some of the entries for individual categories were truly excellent and it was a huge challenge (and heated debate) to select winners. The panel particularly liked hearing about the inspiration behind the entries, how the designers developed and realised the clients’ vision. Some of the entries even provided samples of the work “in the flesh” - this really helped the panel get a sense of the materials used.

Helen Fothergill, Head of Collections, Aberdeen City Council Museums & Galleries

I was impressed with the standard of entries this year and it was really heartening to see in particular the high number of good projects in the educational category. This bodes well for the experience and learning of the next generation. In the regeneration, and in other, categories it was heartening to see some really strong entries that creatively re-used existing buildings. This is vital in the future of architectural practice for sustainability and for the quality and coherence of our towns and cities. I was surprised that by comparison there were fewer entries shortlisted in the affordable homes category and I hope that housing associations and others will fill that gap next year.

Karen Anderson, Founding Partner, Anderson Bell Christie

It was very exciting indeed to be involved with the Scottish Design Awards for the first time. What was immediately striking was the overall quality of design talent and innovative approach that exists within the design community in Scotland, as well as the clear value that clients involved place on good design as a critical part of their business success. This made the judges’ task rewarding and stimulating, and at times very difficult to identify a clear winner amongst the diverse submissions. But what we hope our final choices demonstrate is Scotland’s design community is fizzing with talent!

Philip Long, Director, V&A Dundee

It was a delight to be part of the judging panel for the Scottish Design Awards this year. The discussion was thought provoking and in depth, covering many of the most important topics in architecture today, and the projects were forward looking and considered

Thea McMillan, Design Director, Chambers McMillan Architects

It was a real privilege to be invited to judge the 25th anniversary of the Scottish Design Awards. I was both inspired and blown away by the level of the entries. Good luck to all the nominees!

Leigh Dobson, Client Partner - Digital Services - Leith Agency

An honour to chair the Scottish Design awards alongside a great team of people. The high standards of creativity and craft ran throughout all the categories with a strong sense of original thinking. Great to see excellence shining in areas such as experimental, moving image and animation. Some real benchmark projects.

Dave Roberts, Creative Partner, Superunion

Once again the range and variety of the projects submitted for consideration for the Scottish Design Awards was exceptional – from an apparently simple but technically challenging shelter to major public buildings. The quality of the entries made even the short list difficult to sift out - let alone the final awards. We should be proud of the range and skills of the Architects we have in Scotland.

As a first-time judge I found the whole experience challenging and stimulating with the discussion of each and every entrant fascinating. Each judge brought different experiences to the deliberations and some projects encouraged some very lively discussions! This was a great experience for me and reaffirmed my belief in the very high quality of architectural design in Scotland.

The Scottish Design Awards 2023

2023 winners are revealed

Highlights of 2023

Testimonials

Hiten Bhatt, Head of Design, RAPP

Prof Alan Dunlop, Alan Dunlop Architect

Susan Stephen, Consultant Director, 56Three Architects, formerly Susan Stephen Architects

Annie Hampson, Former Chief Planning Officer, City of London Corporation

Stephen Lewis, Managing Director, HFD Property Group Ltd

Vicki Miller, Director of Marketing & Digital, Visit Scotland

Steve Conchie, Creative Director, Brandon Consultant

Marina Strotz, President, Birmingham Architectural Association

MT Rainey OBE, Directory, Charlotte St Partners, Hays and Clearchannel

Helen Fothergill, Head of Collections, Aberdeen City Council Museums & Galleries

Karen Anderson, Founding Partner, Anderson Bell Christie

Philip Long, Director, V&A Dundee

Thea McMillan, Design Director, Chambers McMillan Architects

Leigh Dobson, Client Partner - Digital Services - Leith Agency

Dave Roberts, Creative Partner, Superunion

David Narro, Founder, Consultant, David Narro Associates

Best of 2023

The Burrell Collection
Design Grand Prix

Newmains & St Brigid’s Community Hub
Architecture Grand Prix

Ebb & Upwell
Chairman’s Award for Design

Prestonpans Civic Square
Chairman’s Award for Architecture

Our Sponsors

The Scottish Design Awards 2023

Hiten Bhatt, Head of Design, RAPP

Prof Alan Dunlop, Alan Dunlop Architect

Susan Stephen, Consultant Director, 56Three Architects, formerly Susan Stephen Architects

Annie Hampson, Former Chief Planning Officer, City of London Corporation

Stephen Lewis, Managing Director, HFD Property Group Ltd

Vicki Miller, Director of Marketing & Digital, Visit Scotland

Steve Conchie, Creative Director, Brandon Consultant

Marina Strotz, President, Birmingham Architectural Association

MT Rainey OBE, Directory, Charlotte St Partners, Hays and Clearchannel

Helen Fothergill, Head of Collections, Aberdeen City Council Museums & Galleries

Karen Anderson, Founding Partner, Anderson Bell Christie

Philip Long, Director, V&A Dundee

Thea McMillan, Design Director, Chambers McMillan Architects

Leigh Dobson, Client Partner - Digital Services - Leith Agency

Dave Roberts, Creative Partner, Superunion

David Narro, Founder, Consultant, David Narro Associates

The Burrell CollectionDesign Grand Prix

Newmains & St Brigid’s Community HubArchitecture Grand Prix

Ebb & UpwellChairman’s Award for Design

Prestonpans Civic SquareChairman’s Award for Architecture

The Burrell Collection
Design Grand Prix

Newmains & St Brigid’s Community Hub
Architecture Grand Prix

Ebb & Upwell
Chairman’s Award for Design

Prestonpans Civic Square
Chairman’s Award for Architecture