Aberdeenshire Council are seeking nominations from communities, residents and businesses for the 2020 Aberdeenshire Architectural and Landscape Design Awards.

Both conceptual and completed developments can be nominated for these awards which are now in their 12th year. The Aberdeenshire Architectural and Landscape Design Awards are given to outstanding design achievements in the categories of Business Enterprise, Conservation and Building Adaption, Innovative Solutions to Housing Need, Landscape Design, Community Development and Innovative Single Houses.

Nominations are now being sought, and will close on Friday, 20 December 2019. Eligible projects include extensions, single houses, commercial properties, conceptual housing schemes, landscaping, regeneration projects and the creation of new communities. The first phase of judging will take place in April, ahead of further judging in May, and the winners announced at a ceremony in Aberdeenshire on 01 October 2020.

-- Advertisement --

The Awards were established in 1997 as a means of raising the profile of good innovative design. Taking place every two years, the awards provide a benchmark for the quality of recent development, the effectiveness of planning policies. It also seeks to inspire excellence and innovation across Aberdeenshire.

The judging panel will feature the chair and vice-chair of Aberdeenshire Council's Infrastructure Services Committee (ISC), the director of Infrastructure Services and four external professional advisors.

There are three tiers of award: Distinction, Highly Commended and Commended along with the Ian Shepherd Award given to the entry considered to be the best of all those submitted.

ISC chair and judging panel member Cllr Peter Argyle said: "Every year we see new buildings completed across Aberdeenshire which make us proud of the standards of design and build from the private and public sectors. Winners in previous years have included everything from single homes to community developments. It is also encouraging that conceptual designs are considered for these awards, demonstrating the ambition of architects and designers in Aberdeenshire and helping us to imagine what the area will look like in coming years. I encourage anyone to put forward a nomination and I look forward to seeing the full range of nominations when the judging panel meet next year."

ISC vice-chair Cllr John Cox said: "The beauty of Aberdeenshire is the way that the historical built environment and the newer projects sit side-by-side and complement each other. It is exactly those sorts of projects which these awards are designed to recognise, ones which encourage developers to think about the relationships between old and new, past and present. I look forward to seeing the 2020 award winners."

(MH/CM)