Architectural Excellence Award (Public Use)

Gairloch Museum; LDN Architects & Simpson Builders

The Museum occupies what was to be an Anti-Aircraft Operations Room (AAOR); a concrete box inside a concrete box, built to withstand the effects of an H bomb. This extraordinarily tough construction required care and ingenuity to achieve the user needs and environmental conditions demanded by the collections. The outcome delivers a precise plan with utility and drama to the fore.

Overall, the improvement in the AAOR’s condition and indeed on the museum’s previous facility, which to all intents and purposes was a rundown leaking byre, is almost immeasurable.

The full shortlist includes:

• Elgin and Appin Ward (Stobhill Mental Health Estate), Glasgow; Keppie Design, NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde and hub West Scotland
• Forth Valley College, Falkirk Campus; Reiach and Hall Architects
• Gairloch Museum; LDN Architects & Simpson Builders
• Inverurie Community Campus; Halliday Fraser Munro
• The Inverness Justice Centre; Reiach and Hall Architects
• Tullibody South Campus, Alloa; Keppie Design

The finalists in the Architectural Excellence Award (Commercial Use) category are as follows:

• Clydesdale Community Hub, South Lanarkshire; Grant Murray Architects
• Ka Pao Restaurant, Glasgow; Mosaic Architecture & Design
• Rutherglen Links Office Pavilions, Glasgow; Keppie Design

To be included in our Architects’ Showcase, simply submit up to 350 words describing your latest project, it’s interesting and innovative features and any challenging or distinctive features to newsdesk@scottishnews.com.