The Thomas Graham Community Library was named in the Community Benefit category while Bridge Street Depot is a finalist within the Public Sector category.

The Thomas Graham Community Library project was entirely driven and funded by the community and was one of the largest non-equity community fund-raising exercises in Scotland to date. A total of £1,000,000 in finance was secured by the local community.

Fleming, on behalf of Strathblane Community Development Trust (SCDT), embarked on a major project to create a new community library to replace the village’s library facility, which had operated from a 40-year-old 124m2 temporary building. Despite its size, age and limited opening hours, Strathblane Library is one of the council’s busiest rural libraries.

The new facilities provide a modern library and community space, developed to be highly sustainable making use of a glulam and timber frame structure and designed to maximise the natural surroundings.

This project, a partnership between SCDT and Stirling Council represents the first community-council partnership to deliver library services in Scotland: a blend of charitable and donor finance, community enterprise and local authority expertise.

The design team included:

• Quantity surveyor: 3C Construction Cost Consultants Ltd
• Architect: Thomas Robinson Architects
• Services engineer: Irons Foulner Consulting Engineers Ltd
• Structural engineer: David Narro Associates
• Principal designer: Thomas Robinson Architects

At the Bridge Street Depot, Fleming has created a ground-breaking new building for South Ayrshire Council that will set a new standard in energy performance.

This new building replaces the previous accommodation and serves as the central hub for Grounds Maintenance, Waste Management, and Golf operations staff, offering state-of-the-art welfare facilities, offices, and meeting rooms.

Significant effort was made in adopting a fabric-first approach, rooted in Passivhaus principles, to meet stringent low energy requirements. The building design, including its integrated systems, is projected to save eight tonnes of CO2 each year, the equivalent of planting 1572 trees with a ‘carbon neutral’ EPC rating (better than A+) with -2.19Kg CO2 per m2 per year

The design team included:

• Quantity Surveyor: Storrier & Donaldson
• Architect: South Ayrshire Council
• Services engineer: Innovated Design Solutions
• Structural engineer: FLN Consulting Engineers
• Principal designer: South Ayrshire Council

A spokesperson for Fleming Buildings said: “We’re delighted to have the innovation and hard work of the teams on these projects recognised in such a prestigious way, with fellow shortlisted projects being of incredibly high standard.”

Regional finals will take place May-June this year, with winners being invited to a national grand final ceremony in October 2024.

The full shortlist can be found here.