30 March 2016

Prize offered for best student submission to 2016 Aberdeenshire Design Awards

Students submitting entries to the 2016 Innovation, Architecture and Design Awards could take home a £500 prize, organisers have announced.

Aberdeenshire Council’s well-established biennial design awards have this year been revised to mark the Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design.

Entries are now being sought for the awards, which are focussing on conceptual design based on innovation, rather than completed projects as in previous years.

This change was made to encourage more student entrants, contributing to the awards’ aim to encourage the very best in design into the future.

It is hoped the student prize of £500 will stimulate interest and encourage innovative entries from undergraduates who will be involved in shaping future architectural design in response to technological advancements, climate change and societal trends.

The following are the categories for the awards, with all but one – number eight – being for “conceptual” design.

1 Single houses sited in a rural setting
2 Single houses sited in an urban setting
3 Small scale residential development
4 Non domestic development
5 Large scale mixed use urban design project
6 Innovative sustainable development
7 Innovative masterplanning
8 Innovative sustainable development (as built)

Projects must show exceptional quality and merit to receive an award and the general public will get to have their say on the award submissions.

Entrants have to submit a supporting statement along with 3D visuals, elevations and floor plans mounted on boards.

Entries will be assessed on innovative design, deliverability, cost and sustainability by a judging panel.

The submissions will be assessed not only on the cost of deliverability, but in the application of the principles of sustainable design and construction.

Key considerations will be how the entry responds to its envisaged context and delivers in respect to energy consumption, connectivity and function.

The closing date for entries is April 15, with nomination forms available on the council’s website.

For more information, or to discuss an entry, telephone Shaun Norman on (01467) 628632.