Malcolm Fraser Architects wins Whitecross Design Ideas Competition
Malcolm Fraser Architects Ltd has been announced as the winner of the Scottish Sustainable Communities Initiative (SSCI) Design Ideas Competition, which was run by the Scottish Government in partnership with Morston Assets Ltd.
Facilitated by RIAS Consultancy the two-part competition sought design proposals from registered architects, working in partnership with developers/housebuilders, for a proposed low carbon community at Whitecross near Linlithgow. The Whitecross project has been selected as an exemplar project by the Scottish Government as part of the SSCI.
Forty-one pre qualification submissions were received and a shortlist of five was selected by the judging panel. The shortlisted practices were (listed alphabetically):
- Elder & Cannon Architects Ltd
- Gareth Hoskins Architects Ltd
- HTA Architects Ltd
- Malcolm Fraser Architects Ltd
- RMJM Scotland Ltd.
These practices prepared proposals for the judges to assess in association with interviews held on 14th October 2010.
Culture Minister Fiona Hyslop said, "The delivery of high-quality sustainable housing is at the heart of what this Government wants for communities across Scotland. The SSCI design competition has illustrated the depth of design talent in Scotland, with the five short-listed practices presenting bold and challenging architecture.
I am delighted that all of the submissions demonstrate high-quality and creative solutions, taking account of commercial viability and responding to the particular requirements of the Whitecross site. These solutions showcase how innovative responses can help deliver places of real and enduring value in a time when the economic backdrop forces us all to be more resourceful.
The winning team of Malcolm Fraser Architects has submitted an original and innovative proposal that I hope will be an important exemplar for the design and construction sector and help deliver low-carbon communities and sustainable economic growth for Scotland.
The Chair of the judging panel, David Page of Page Park Architects, said,
A strong shortlist of architecture and development teams competed for the first phase of development of the community extension for the village of Whitecross. Working to the masterplan conceived by Cadell2 the five consortia explored variations on the themes of creating a new sense of place on the site of a former brickworks near Linlithgow working to the brief of providing homes to meet the 2013 building regulations with their requirement for a 40% reduction in CO2 production. This Scottish Government initiative with Morston Developments is one of a number to lift the standard of place making and energy efficiency of new communities."
"Elder and Cannon Architects enthused the jury with their sense of crafted place through the synthesis of courtyard typology and earthy brick materiality overlaid the CCG prefabricated timber frame technology.
"HTA's partnership with Dualchas promoted a modular plan and sectional typology explored through their innovative work in the west coast of Scotland uniquely fused here with HTA's community based initiatives to promote community ownership of streets and public spaces.
"RMJM boldly reconceptualised the masterplan with the identification of a wide variety of house typologies and settings to deliver a closer linkage between the existing village and proposed new settlement extension.
"Gareth Hoskins Architects' careful reworking of the masterplan with Crudens was commended by the jury for its manipulation of a modular frame system to create a variety of street settings that would quickly establish a sense of contemporary place.
"First place was awarded to Malcolm Fraser Architects with Stewart Milne Homes for the development of themes explored at nearby Bo'ness and more recently at the Scotland's Housing Expo. This consisted here of groupings of housing arranged around a sequence of courts and rows linked by a pedestrian spine stretching from the masterplan proposed civic garden in the north down to the river woodland walk to the south. Clever manipulation of the building typologies adapted to the Cadell2 masterplan through adaptation of Stewart Milne Homes' prefabricated timber frame systems with innovative suggestions to the commercial development of the anchoring High Street.
David Dodge, Chief Executive, Morston Assets Ltd said,
We are delighted that our vision for Yours Whitecross has generated such exciting high quality proposed design solutions throughout this competition. The key focus of the 'Yours' brand is that the homes are sustainable in both design and use, are built within home zone layouts and facilitate home working and entrepreneurialism. We believe that this has been achieved by all of those shortlisted and was especially apparent in the winning entry. We look forward to delivering a truly sustainable community at Whitecross which delivers Good Homes, Good Jobs and Good Neighbourhoods.