Architecture and Design Scotland (A&DS)

Our Annual Review of 2024 is now live on our website! This annual review celebrates a year of collaboration, community thinking, new perspectives, and design excellence. Find out what our Chief Executive, Jim MacDonald had to say in this short video. Read our Annual Review 👉 https://bit.ly/AR24as

How are pilot projects shaping the future of Local Development Plans in Scotland? Join us next Wednesday at 2 for an hour to find out. We're looking into the one-year progress of our pilot initiative, 'Key Agencies Group Collaborative Local Development Plan offer', focusing on the impact of spatial data and evidence gathering. Hear directly from Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar, Highland Council, Midlothian Council, Fife Council and Key Agencies as they reflect on key processes and the impact this offer has on their work. This webinar is open to local authorities, the Scottish Government, and key agency planning officers. Register with your organisation's email address here: https://lnkd.in/eZSDetPJ

This #InternationalWomensDay, we’re celebrating our brilliant and talented colleagues and partners, and all women working in the architecture and design sector across Scotland. Last year, as part of our Value of Design campaign, we were honoured to interview a series of amazing women playing key and leading roles in design, recognising their invaluable contributions to the industry. Watch the full interviews to gain insights from these inspiring professionals: https://bit.ly/4h1QSH1 #InternationalWomensDay #WomenInDesign

Last night, we were proud to sponsor the 2025 Metzstein Architecture Discourse hosted by The Royal Scottish Academy of Art and Architecture and held at our home, the Edinburgh Futures Institute. The lecture was delivered by the brilliant Peter Barber, who is redefining the possibilities of social housing with his small but visionary London practice. It was fantastic to have five of our team in attendance to engage with such refreshing and encouraging ideas. A huge thank you to Peter, the RSA and EFI for such an inspiring evening. Look out for our reflections from the event in a blog soon!

Climate action doesn't end when a project does. It's just the beginning. In our latest blog, Taking Ownership: Climate Action Towns' ongoing stories, we share inspiring updates from Holytown, Stevenston, Annan and Blackburn. Discover how these communities are continuing to drive change, from local green initiatives to ambitious regeneration projects: https://bit.ly/4brrfwP Contributors include: - Alison Russell from Holytown Environmental Group - Jean Frew of Friends of Stevenston (F.R.I.E.N.D.S) and Stevenston Community Company - Alan Thomson from Annan Harbour Action Group. - Lisa Haggerty Brown from Community Action Blackburn 📸: Annan Harbour Action Group

Don't miss out on episode 2 of A Fragile Correspondence podcast by the V&A Dundee👇

Scotland faces a critical need for sustainable, affordable and efficiently built homes. Published in 2020, this case study explores how offsite construction could address these challenges by exploring four diverse housing projects in Scotland. This case study will be invaluable for: - developers and builders: seeking innovative and efficient solutions for housing projects - policymakers and planners: understanding the potential of offsite construction for meeting housing targets - architects and engineers: exploring design and technical considerations for offsite projects Read case study: https://ow.ly/P3x950UJujN Projects featured include: - Heritage Way, Fraserburgh by Gokay Deveci - Bath Street Collective Custom Build by Kinsley Architects - Ulva Ferry Housing by Thorne Wyness Architects - Skye Mobile Micro Home by Ann Nisbet Studio

📢 Great insights shared at the Flood Resilience Conference 2025 at Dynamic Earth! Our team joined 600+ attendees this week, exploring the new Scottish Flood Resilience Strategy and innovative approaches to flood resilience. Our Principal Architect, Steven Malone, and Senior Design Officer, Laura Hainey, were both in attendance, with Laura contributing to a key discussion on the second day of the conference.   Laura joined other experts, including Cat Payne from Verture and Kat Hasler from The Scottish Government, in a dynamic discussion about tools for building flood-resilient communities.   She shared her experiences with the Climate Action Towns project and discussed the toolkit that outlines processes for community engagement, risk assessment, and idea generation.   She showcased Stevenston as a case study, where flood and coastal resilience, along with climate change adaptation, were central themes. Identifying shared concerns between community groups and the local authority led to several positive outcomes: an expedited coastal adaptation study, improved collaboration, and the community groups seeking asset transfer of a greenspace for community use and potential upstream flood mitigation.   You can learn more about the Climate Action Towns toolkit here: https://bit.ly/CATT24IG

Published in 2020, this case study explores a pioneer of the ‘garden hospital’ concept, Dumfries & Galloway Royal Infirmary: a 344-bed hospital that sits among pastureland, trees, and hedgerows. “Often people come to a big hospital with trepidation, but this building doesn’t have that feel. When you’re walking into it, you could be in a hotel or an airport terminal. There’s the brightness and the views out. It doesn’t have an oppressive, clinical feel to it, and this is important.” said Stephen Howie, Project Manager for NHS DUMFRIES & GALLOWAY. Designed by Ryder Architecture the project was completed in 2017. Discover how a garden hospital design involving clinical staff has set a benchmark for future healthcare developments: https://ow.ly/2yYu50UHLZf

Planning, Architecture and Regeneration Directorate of The Scottish Government is hosting an online information session tomorrow to talk about the Future Planners Programme. The Future Planners Programme is a unique postgraduate programme for ambitious undergraduate students and graduates, who are eager to step into the world of planning. This is an exciting opportunity to study towards a fully funded postgraduate degree in planning whilst working at the Scottish Government, setting you on the path to becoming a qualified planning professional. Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/ewY_Q3cF