Shetland Architectural Society
News and Events
On 16 May 2009 the Shetland Architects got together for a visit to the restoration of Belmont House in Unst followed by a splendid meal at the Northern Lights Cafe at Haroldswick. Members and friends got to see how the restoration of Belmont has progressed before internal walls are fully reconstructed. Belmont house website.
On 31 March 2009 the Society welcomed Sue Roaf, author of the bestselling book 'Ecohouse', to Shetland to give a public lecture on 'Adapting to 3 degrees of Climate Change'. The lecture theatre in Shetland Museum and Archives was full for this stimulating and challenging talk. Sue spent the day discussing how local architects can help in adapting to climate change in Shetland and how we can make the community more resilient.
A new design awards scheme for innovative and cutting edge architecture in the Highlands and Islands was held in July 2008 at the Shetland Museum & Archives. The ‘Regional Awards’ round in Shetland and Orkney was the third to be held as part of the inaugural IAA (Inverness Architectural Association) awards. Seven projects were shortlisted from seventeen entries for the two categories.

Shortlisted entries for New Buildings were: Aisgarth, Stromness by Orkney Architects, Nesting School, Nesting by Shetland Islands Council, West Shore, Waas by Richard Gibson Architects. Shortlisted entries for New life for old buildings were: Old Tollbooth, Lerwick by P-J-P Architects, 16 Harbour St, Lerwick by Redman & Sutherland Architects, Byre at Heddle, Orkney by Leslie Burgher Architect, Muckle Busta, Sandness Shetland, Richard Gibson Architects.

Richard Gibson Architects won each of the two categories in the Shetland & Orkney round with Westshore House, Waas and Muckle Bousta Extension, Sandness. Commendations were received by Redman + Sutherland Architects for an extension to 16 Harbour Street, Lerwick and Orkney Architects for the Aisgarth House, Stromness. The judges were Shane Rodgers of IAA, Stanley Ross-Smith of S.A.S., Gwilym Gibbons of Shetland Arts, and Neil Firth of Pier Arts Centre, Stromness.

The Regional Award winners were selected at a grand final event on 14th November at Eden Court Theatre in Inverness. Richard Gibson Architects Westshore House received the commendation in the section for Best New Building in the Highlands and Islands.

Shetland Architectural Society Annual Dinner 2007
Photograph courtesy of The Shetland Times

Members and guests of the Shetland Architectural Society pictured at their 2007 dinner held in the restaurant of the new Shetland Museum and Archives. Attending the dinner was Mary Wrenn, Chief Executive of the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland, who was in Shetland with her husband Richard Parnaby as guests of the Society. The dinner provided the opportunity to celebrate local architecture and officially launch the Shetland Architectural Society website www.shetlandarchiteture.co.uk. The website provides information about architecture in Shetland, details of practicing Architects and illustrations of the quality designs they carry out. With guests from the local construction industry also present, Chairman of the Society Iain Malcolmson paid tribute to the high standard of workmanship there is in Shetland which is necessary to translate design into successfully completed buildings.

Shetland Architectural Society Relaunch 2007
Photograph courtesy of The Shetland Times

Members of the Shetland Architectural Society pictured after the relaunch of the Society in 2007.

The Society contributed an article on the benefits of using an Architect to The Shetland Times as part of a 'Homes' supplement. The article can be read here.

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