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PRESS RELEASE - THE DUNDEE INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS ANNUAL AWARDS 2007

The DIA President and the exhibition will be available for photography at 6.00pm on Monday 29th October at Sensation, Greenmarket, Dundee, DD1 4QB.

The Dundee Institute of Architects unveiled the exhibition of the entrants to its annual awards at Dundee’s Sensation Science Centre. Ged Young the President of the DIA welcomed guests to the event and enthused “The Dundee Institute of Architects have now been running these annual awards over the course of two decades. We hope that the awards not only applaud the excellent buildings seen across our chapter area, as exampled by this years entries, but also encourage clients, architects and the local authorities to constantly improve the quality of our built environment.”

“This year the awards have received some forty long listed entries from Fife, Angus, Dundee, Perth and Kinross. That work is of a very high standard ranging from public realm works, through interior design or commercial developments to private houses. Those entries set a very high standard which we hope to emulate next year and will set a very stern task for myself and the other members of the judging panel, freelance journalist and television presenter Neil Mudie and Duncan of Jordanston College of Art’s Ralph Tilston.”

“We are looking forward to a lengthy debate at our short listing meeting and then a highly rewarding tour of each of the projects which reaches the final short list.”

“Awards are a very important means by which we can encourage more professionals and members of the public to take a real interest in our environment. From that point of view the seven categories of professional awards are supplemented by the DIA Student Award and the DIA Best Building of the 1990’s vote. We have now sponsored a sketch design competition for fourth year architecture students at the College of Art for a number of years, and this year we set them a challenge to create an outdoor entertainment space just off the Perth Road opposite the College. We are delighted by the end results, the best of which are on display tonight and by the assistance of the Art Bar who volunteered to act as both a judge and ‘client’ for the students. Clearly there is a great deal of talent at Duncan of Jordanston and we are eagar to encourage these future generations of architects in this way.”

“Equally we wish to reach out to the public by means of this exhibition and the public vote to select Tayside’s Best Building of the 1990’s. The buildings shortlisted for that award include the British Golf Museum, St Andrews, the Matthew Gloag HQ, Perth; and Dundee Contemporary Arts along with two projects by the Nicoll Russell Studios who were responsible for last years winning building Dundee Rep. Their shortlisted projects this year include the Whitetop Centre, Dundee and Scrimgeour’s Corner, Crieff. This award has already attracted several hundred votes. One lucky voter will win a weekend break for two to a top European City and the winning building will be awarded a plaque. Last year’s vote proved to be great fun and highly engaging so we hope that that success will be repeated again.”

“All award categories, the public vote and the student competition will be announced at our annual awards dinner to be held on the 15th November. The exhibition which is free to enter will run from Tuesday 30th October to Monday 12th November at Sensation.”

“Of course events such as this could not happen, if it were not for the vital support of our principle sponsor the Royal Bank of Scotland and our category sponsors, Thorntons, Blackadders, Ora Ceramics, Kallkwik, Duncarse, Ibstock, Project Scotland and Proctor Group.”

“We wish to thank all of those sponsors, the entrants, their clients, judges, Sensation and the many people who have assisted in the preparation of the exhibition and the organisation of the awards. Hopefully we will also be able to thank many visitors to the exhibition over the next two weeks.”

For further information please contact
Willie Watt on
T: 01382 778966 or
M: 0738 800415

Dundee Institute of Architects : Student Design Competition 2007

Background
The development of Dundee’s cultural renaissance over recent years has been well documented. ‘Set-piece’ buildings that provide a successful platform for the arts already contribute enormously to the life and vitality of the city. Theatre and the visual arts prosper alongside a thriving and increasingly well recognised local music scene.

It is the intention of this project to demonstrate on a smaller scale how under utilised and un-loved ‘resultant’ spaces in our city might also be viewed as “opportunities”. In contributing, through creative adaptability, to a programme of urban and artistic renewal, it should be possible to create a richness of use, experience, space and contrast perhaps best illustrated by Edinburgh’s Old Town.

Site
A South facing area of land immediately to the rear of ‘The Art Bar’ on Perth Road, opposite Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art. It is a ‘hidden’ world characterised by a mature tree, the walls and buildings which enclose it. The site is currently used in an ad-hoc way for car parking, mixing uncomfortably with refuse storage and fire exits from Perth Road premises.

Brief
The Art Bar currently hosts occasional small scale ‘band’ performances, and this theoretical brief looks to take advantage of the site to expand this programme. The intention is to create a suitable ‘external’ environment in which such events can take place. The nature of the proposals might consider light, sound, multi-media, built form and landscape design, as well as exploring notions of both “the permanent” and “the transitory”.

While taking account of the surrounding buildings, landscape, scale, and existing ‘service’ functions of the site, the proposals should focus on how to stage an event from beginning to end to create a memorable performance atmosphere in an urban context that will be enjoyed by both audience and artist alike.

Entry Requirements
1 A2 presentation sheet (any medium) and model (scale 1:100) Models should be capable of being displayed either table or wall mounted.

Judging will be carried out (in November) by representatives of the DIA. Prizes for first, second and third places will be made at the judges’ discretion. The judges’ decision is final.

A selection of entries will hopefully be exhibited at DCA and a shortlist of entrants invited to the 2007 DIA Awards Dinner to be held at The Invercarse Hotel on Thursday 15th November 2007 where the winner will be formally announced.

NEWS - NICOLL RUSSELL STUDIOS ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION

Nicoll Russell Studios’ travelling exhibition celebrating 25 years of their award winning work, which was launched at the RIAS gallery in March, will next be on display at the Wellgate Library, Dundee. The exhibition will run from the 16th June for two weeks, during normal library hours.