Awards for architectural excellence
The presentation of RIBA Awards for 2008 and 2009 to Scottish practices took place in September at the RIAS offices in Rutland Square, Edinburgh. Reiach and Hall were awarded the following:
RIBA Award 2009 Scotland _ Beatson Institute for Cancer Research Glasgow
RIBA National Award 2008 _ Pier Arts Centre Stromness Orkney
RIBA Award 2008 Scotland _ Pier Arts Centre Stromness Orkney _ New Arts Faculty Building St Andrews
The judges' citation for the Beatson Institute for Cancer Research (listed in full below) credits the project as a "world class research environment set within a crystalline cube".
"The spare elegance and seeming simplicity of this glass pavilion, set within a walled garden, is a worthy understated foil to the technical precision of the state-of-the-art research facilities within. Although the budget was relatively modest for a facility of this scale and complexity the architects have created a world class research environment set within a crystalline cube.
The ground floor of the building incorporates a large lecture theatre, meeting spaces and a cafe and opens up to the enclosed garden. The highly serviced research laboratories above are set around a communal core. Like the ground floor plan this upper area enables researchers to meet, chat and pursue the process of scientific discovery through a lively exchange of ideas.
This new building is set close to the existing laboratory facility on the Garscube Estate’s mature landscaped site. By combining all of the University of Glasgow’s cancer research facilities within one site and creating such a welcoming new building, the opportunity for Glasgow to attract the best cancer researchers is greatly enhanced.
The modelling of this new building’s external facade carefully follows the daily movement of the sun around the building. An artist-designed frit pattern provides screening where necessary, to ensure that internal temperatures are controlled according to the highly precise requirements for such a research facility."
A previous visit from judges representing the Glasgow Institute of Architects commended the building’s deceptive simplicity and also commented that while it “oozes cool” it demands to be touched. The RIBA Awards judges took this one step further with the chair of the Scottish panel suggesting that it was the most “lickable of all of this year’s submissions." RIBA Award 2009, judges citation, Beatson Institute for Cancer Research.
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