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Dumfries & Galloway Design Awards

04 July 2019

The Award for Residential: New Building Category has been given to the new housing we designed at Queen Street for Dumfries & Galloway Housing Partnerships. We also received a Commendation for Douglas Gardens for Loreburn Housing Association.

Queen Street, DGHP: AWARD

The project transformed a brownfield gap site that had sat vacant for a long period of time and was seen as the final piece in the regeneration works carried out in around the Queen Street area. The project delivered 100% affordable housing providing high-quality, low cost housing affordable for occupation by local people.

The design approach aimed to interpret the visual qualities of layout, scale, form, mass, detailing, architectural style and materials of the surrounding context in a modern way with the aim of contributing to the character of the surrounding area. A simple palette of high-quality materials were carefully selected to complement each other and work well with the surrounding context including locally-sourced red sandstone, handmade rustic red facing bricks and natural welsh slates.

Whilst the designs are sympathetic to the historic context in appearance they integrate modern and ground-breaking features including high-standards of energy efficiency, accessibility for all, home offices and natural light. All dwellings achieve compliance with the more demanding Gold Level of Sustainability in respect of carbon dioxide emissions, resource use, building flexibility, adaptability and occupant well-being demonstrating the developer’s commitment to sustainability.

The project also achieved compliance with Housing for Varying Needs and Secured by Design – Gold Level and successfully delivered a safe and sustainable development to a brownfield site, demonstrating a clear physical regeneration and enhancement to the site and surrounding context. This project positively contributed to providing high-quality, energy efficient and affordable housing to the town centre of Dumfries and offer the potential for future adaptability.

Douglas Gardens, Loreburn HA: COMMENDATION

The project provides a high-quality affordable housing development to meet identified housing needs for families in the local area. The arrangement and layout of dwellings produce an interesting and attractive place to live, giving security and privacy, and creating a sense of place.

The site was vacant back-land space to the rear of an existing residential development that become prone to public nuisance. The project ensured this site was developed as safe, pleasant and welcoming development that related and connected well with the surrounding area demonstrating a clear physical regeneration to the area and achieve Secured by Design – Gold Level certification.

The affordable design reflects, supports and take the opportunities for improving the character and quality of the area in which it is located whilst taking a more modern approach to the design. All dwellings present active and attractive frontages to street scene with variety in design, detailing and materials added to the street scene to reflect the local character.

All the dwellings have been designed and constructed to exceed the baseline level for sustainability of Scottish Building Standards 7: Sustainability for Building Regulations by achieving Silver Active Level of Sustainability and incorporate low and zero carbon generating technology. The internal layout are designed to flexible and adaptable and achieve compliance with Housing for Varying Needs.

This project demonstrates the standard of sustainable, affordable housing design that can be achieved for a cost-effective, small-scale development located on the periphery of an existing residential development.