Building Briefs – October 17th

Liverpool Everyman Theatre wins RIBA Stirling Prize 2014

Liverpool’s newly rebuilt Everyman Theatre has won the RIBA Stirling Prize for best new building of the year.

The venue beat five other buildings to win the honour - the Royal Institute of British Architects’ highest accolade.

Riba president Stephen Hodder called the Everyman an “exceptional new building”.

“It is a ground-breaking example of how to build a daring bold and highly sustainable large public building in a historic city centre,” he said.

The firm beat five others to the prize - the Shard by Renzo Piano Building Workshop, the Saw Swee Hock Student Centre for the London School of Economics by O’Donnell & Tuomey, the London Aquatics Centre by Zaha Hadid Architects, the Library of Birmingham by Mecanoo and the Manchester School of Art by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios.

Dumfries archive centre options outlined

Three potential funding options - costing up to £6.2 million - have been outlined for a new archive and local studies centre located in Dumfries.

A site at the Ewart Library was selected as the preferred option for the facility earlier this year.

It will be used to house a vast collection of historic documents currently held by Dumfries and Galloway Council in various locations.

Councillors will decide their preferred funding proposal next week.

Creative Scotland unveils plans for Scottish movie studio

Creative Scotland has outlined plans for a new film studio for Scotland as part of a new film strategy for Scotland.

Detailing priorities for the film sector over the next three years, the Strategy responds to the objectives and ambitions put forward in the Film Sector Review published in January 2014.

It identified the establishment of a sustainable film studio as one of its key priorities.

Galashiels Transport Interchange makes its mark

The £5.2 million Galashiels Transport Interchange is four months into construction but already it has provided a series of community benefits.

The education and training programme, agreed by Scottish Borders Council, development partner Hub South East Scotland and appointed contractor Morrison Construction, has been designed to deliver a range of activities within the local area to support young people at school and college.

Work experience opportunities have been extended to pupils at five Borders secondary schools, with 15-year-old Calvin Hunter of Earlston High having already spent a week learning about site management. Bricklaying, joinery and plumbing students from Borders College have also taken up work placements on the project.

Site visits are also scheduled, with 19 bricklaying students due to be given a tour of the scheme in November while Morrison Construction staff have spoken to over 500 primary pupils at nearby schools to explain the dangers associated with construction sites.

New lease of life for Lundin Links Hotel

A former Fife hotel is set for a new lease of life after being purchased by developers.

The Lundin Links Hotel ceased trading earlier this year after its owner had previously warned about a drop off in trade.

The C-listed building, prominently located on Leven Road, has been vacant ever since, with members of the local community keen to have the future of the distinctive structure settled once and for all.

After generating much interest while on the market, the company overseeing the sale of the building has confirmed that a new owner, Kapital Assets, has purchased the property for an undisclosed sum.

It is understood that the new owners intend to transform the building into residential accommodation, although whether this is as a single property or a number of flats remains unknown.

It ends the uncertainty surrounding the future of the site, with its former owner having considered the possibility of redeveloping the hotel into 36 flats in 2012.

The ambitious proposals, which also included a retail development, were never taken forward and the three-star hotel closed its doors in January.

Budget hotel plans for old Dundee council chambers

A planning application has been submitted for a new Dundee hotel at the B-listed building at 9 West Bell Street, next to Abertay University, which was originally built as the parish council chambers in the early 1900s.

The building was most recently used as research and commercial offices, but the decorative front facade has become damaged and dirty.

Hotelier Chris Rigby, who runs Lost Guest House in Aberdeen and Peterhead, is hoping to convert the offices into a six-story, 34-bedroom budget hotel.

The application states that if approved, the new hotel would help to “revitalise” the historic building.

The application outlines extensive repairs to the building’s sandstone facade and the conversion would retain most of the original external and interior features.

The full application can be viewed here.

Revised Eddleston wind farm bid revealed

Revised plans for a wind farm near the village of Eddleston in the Scottish Borders have been revealed.

The Pegasus Group has submitted a scoping opinion request to Scottish Borders Council over proposals for seven turbines at Kilrubie.

Original plans for 10 turbines were revised after local and council opposition to the scheme.

Following the scoping request, any planning application would be considered by Scottish Borders Council.

An application for 18 turbines on a neighbouring site at Cloich Forest is currently in the hands of appeal reporters at the Scottish Government.

New Scottish Borders affordable housing plans become reality

Plans to provide up to 200 homes for rent across the Scottish Borders through the National Housing Trust (NHT) have moved a step closer.

Scottish Borders Council has agreed to buy four recently completed houses in Ayton to provide much needed affordable homes for rent in Berwickshire. The local authority has also agreed with Persimmon Homes to buy six two-bedroom properties at the recently completed development at Melrose Gait in Galashiels.

The council said talks are continuing with a number of developers to deliver additional homes in a number of key areas in the Borders.

A limited liability partnership, Bridge Homes, has been set up to take ownership of the houses produced through this programme.

£6.7m housing development for UK veterans opens in Glasgow

Years of planning, fundraising, designing and building came to fruition when His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester KG GCVO officially opened a new housing development at Bellrock Close in Glasgow.

Charity Scottish Veteran Residences (SVR) welcomed funders, ex-Service charity colleagues, serving military personnel, councillors and MSPs to help celebrate the completion of the transitional support service and 51 flats for veterans.

The Royal Patron for the charity met tenants of the flats and residents of the transitional service as he toured the £6.7 million development.

The housing development provides training, education, employment and recreation facilities for vulnerable veterans, many of whom are young men who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The facility includes 21 affordable rental homes which are exclusively available to ex-armed forces members and their families. It also has housing where veterans struggling to cope can live independently but with support.

£2.5m police firing range opened at Dounreay

A £2.5m police firing range has been opened near the Dounreay nuclear power complex in Caithness.

The eight-lane 164ft-long (50m) range is for Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC) officers who guard Dounreay.

Dounreay is in the process of being closed down and cleaned up in a £1.6bn project.

Montrose harbouring North Sea hopes after £6m upgrade

Montrose Port Authority has completed a further £6 million quay upgrade aimed at attracting a bigger share of the lucrative North Sea business away from Aberdeen.

The move will enhance the harbour’s capacity for handling larger cargo and oil and gas ships, as well as vessels servicing the renewables industry projected to result from the major offshore windfarms approved for the Tay and Forth regions.

The upgrade of berths six and seven on the north side of the port provides deeper water for berthing at eight metres.