Perth Theatre and V&A Dundee hailed among Scotland’s best buildings

V&A Dundee, Perth Theatre and a housing association office in Glasgow are among the 19 architectural gems included in a shortlist of Scotland’s best new buildings.

The projects were unveiled as the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS) announced the shortlist for its 2019 awards for Scotland’s best buildings.

Perth Theatre and V&A Dundee hailed among Scotland’s best buildings

V&A Dundee

The £2.92 million Tollcross Housing Association offices in Glasgow and the £80.1m V&A Dundee are joined by projects such as The Raining’s Stairs Development in Inverness the Black House on the Isle of Skye and the £11.4m Perth Theatre.



Judging will take place at the end of April with the RIAS Awards winners being announced at a dinner at the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh on May 30. The RIBA National Awards will be announced in June.

The winners will be announced in Edinburgh on May 30.

Robin Webster, RIAS president, said: “This year’s judges were struck by the continuing high standard of submissions and found shortlisting very difficult indeed. This is an impressive list of buildings that all show the ambitious level of excellence that architects and their clients can achieve, and I hope that communities, government and local authorities, along with everyone else who needs to procure buildings will look at these examples and ensure that their ambitions match them. Our awards celebrate the very best that is being built in Scotland.”

The shortlist for Scotland comprises the following buildings (listed alphabetically):



Perth Theatre and V&A Dundee hailed among Scotland’s best buildings

Bayes Centre (c) Keith Hunter

Bayes Centre, Edinburgh (contract value not for publication)
Bennetts Associates for University of Edinburgh

Perth Theatre and V&A Dundee hailed among Scotland’s best buildings

The Black House (c) David Barbour

The Black House, Isle of Skye (contract value not for publication)
Dualchas Architects Ltd for a Private Client



Perth Theatre and V&A Dundee hailed among Scotland’s best buildings

Briongos MacKinnon House (c) Martin Lambie

Briongos MacKinnon House, Strathaven (contract value not for publication)
Richard Murphy Architects Limited for Colin MacKinnon

Perth Theatre and V&A Dundee hailed among Scotland’s best buildings

Brodie Castle – Playful Garden Visitor Centre (c) Dapple Photography

Brodie Castle – Playful Garden Visitor Centre, Forres (£1.2 m)
Hoskins Architects for The National Trust for Scotland



Perth Theatre and V&A Dundee hailed among Scotland’s best buildings

Broomlands Primary School (c) Andrew Lee

Broomlands Primary School, Kelso (£8 m)
Stallan-Brand Architecture + Design Ltd for Scottish Borders Council

Perth Theatre and V&A Dundee hailed among Scotland’s best buildings

Cairngorms National Park Authority Headquarters (c) Simon Kennedy

Cairngorms National Park Authority Headquarters, Grantown-on-Spey (£1 m)
Moxon Architects Ltd for Seafield Estate

Perth Theatre and V&A Dundee hailed among Scotland’s best buildings

Collective on Calton Hill (c) Susie Lowe

Collective on Calton Hill, Edinburgh (£4 m)
Collective Architecture for City of Edinburgh Council and Collective

Perth Theatre and V&A Dundee hailed among Scotland’s best buildings

Hendrick’s Gin Palace (c) David Cadzow

Hendrick’s Gin Palace, Girvan (£13 m)
Michael Laird Architects for William Grant & Son

Perth Theatre and V&A Dundee hailed among Scotland’s best buildings

The Macallan Distillery and Visitor Experience (c) Joas Souza

The Macallan Distillery and Visitor Experience, Craigellachie (£140 m)
Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners for Edrington

Perth Theatre and V&A Dundee hailed among Scotland’s best buildings

Mackintosh at the Willow (c) Alexander Fraser

Mackintosh at the Willow, Glasgow (contract value not for publication)
Simpson & Brown for Willow Tea Rooms Trust

Perth Theatre and V&A Dundee hailed among Scotland’s best buildings

Orchard Brae School (c) Niall Hastie

Orchard Brae School, Aberdeen (£17.5 m)
jmarchitects for Hub North Scotland Ltd

Perth Theatre and V&A Dundee hailed among Scotland’s best buildings

Perth Theatre (c) Keith Hunter

Perth Theatre (£11.38 m)
Richard Murphy Architects Limited for Horsecross Arts Ltd

Perth Theatre and V&A Dundee hailed among Scotland’s best buildings

The Raining’s Stairs Development (c) Ewen Weatherspoon

The Raining’s Stairs Development, Inverness (contract value not for publication)
Trail Architects for Ark Estates

Perth Theatre and V&A Dundee hailed among Scotland’s best buildings

Jack Copland Centre (c) Andrew Lee

Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service – The Jack Copland Centre, Edinburgh (£30 m)
Reiach and Hall Architects for Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service

Perth Theatre and V&A Dundee hailed among Scotland’s best buildings

St. John’s Church

St. John’s Church - Alteration and Extension, Edinburgh (£2.35 m)
LDN Architects for Cornerstone Developments (Edinburgh) Ltd

Perth Theatre and V&A Dundee hailed among Scotland’s best buildings

Tollcross Housing Association Offices (c) Andrew Lee

Tollcross Housing Association Offices, Glasgow (£2.92 m)
Elder and Cannon Architects for Tollcross Housing Association

Perth Theatre and V&A Dundee hailed among Scotland’s best buildings

Tragerhaus (c) Tom Manley

Tragerhaus, Glasgow (contract value not for publication)
HAUS Collective Ltd for Linda and James Laws

Perth Theatre and V&A Dundee hailed among Scotland’s best buildings

V&A Dundee (c) HuftonCrow

V&A Dundee (£80.1 m)
Kengo Kuma & Associates with PiM.studio Architects and James F Stephen Architects for Dundee City Council

Perth Theatre and V&A Dundee hailed among Scotland’s best buildings

West Calder High School (c) Keith Hunter

West Calder High School (£32 m)
NORR Consultants Limited for West Lothian Council

The judging panel for this year is Prof. John Cole CBE Hon FRIAS (chair), Joanna van Heyningen OBE RIBA, van Heyningen and Haward Architects (representing the Royal Institute of British Architects), Catriona Hill from CH Architecture and Peter McCaughey, WAVEparticle.

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