Over 25 of Scotland’s most impressive and community beneficial building projects battled it out for top honours at the 2018 RICS awards, where the Countesswells development in Aberdeen won the Residential category.

Held at The Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa in Edinburgh last week, the annual RICS Awards 2018, Scotland celebrate inspirational initiatives in the land, property and construction sectors across eight category awards.

Countesswells won the Residential category, providing an example of a large-scale housing development being funded by innovative means utilising a UK Treasury guarantee that has allowed certainty and confidence to invest in a significant amount of up-front infrastructure and environmental works.

Director of RICS in Scotland, Gail Hunter, said: “Residents in Countesswells are taking ownership of completed spaces by becoming members of the management company responsible for maintaining new public spaces and allowing them to own and control the land’s future use.”

Other category winners included ScottishPower House, Glasgow, in the Commercial category, and Marischal Square, Aberdeen, which took the accolade for Regeneration.

The Caithness-Moray electricity network reinforcement project, which has energized the initial section of the £1.1 billion Caithness-Moray transmission link, won the Infrastructure category award before being named the overall Scotland Project of the Year.

6 St Andrew Square, Edinburgh, was also Highly Commended within the Commercial category. Other category winners include Appleton Tower, Edinburgh, in the Design through Innovation category, Falls of Shin, Lairg, which took the accolade for Tourism & Leisure.

Gail Hunter said: “I would like to congratulate all winners of the RICS Awards, and the high quality of projects shortlisted, demonstrating the calibre of built environment work taking place across Scotland. The winners showcase schemes, from billion pound investments to locally funded community projects, all of which have a positive impact on their region and wider economy.”

All category winners will go on to compete against regional winners from across the UK at the national RICS Awards Grand Final on 2 November 2018 in London, for the chance to be crowned the overall UK winner in their respective category.

RICS Awards 2018, Scotland – Winners

Building Conservation

Winner – St. Cecilia’s Hall, Edinburgh

Commercial

Winner - ScottishPower House, Glasgow

Community Benefit

Winner - Dunfermline Carnegie Library & Galleries, Dunfermline

Design through Innovation

Winner - Appleton Tower, Edinburgh

Infrastructure

Winner - Caithness-Moray Electricity Network Reinforcement

Regeneration

Winner – Marischal Square, Aberdeen

Residential

Winner - Countesswells, Aberdeen

Tourism & Leisure

Winner - Falls of Shin, Lairg

Project of the Year

Winner – Caithness-Moray Electricity Network Reinforcement