College wins top design award
A COLLEGE facility which trains students for careers in the renewable energy sector has been named as the best building in the north Highlands.
The Centre for Energy and Environment at North Highland College UHI in Thurso claimed the top prize for best new building in the north region of the Highlands and Islands Design Awards.
It picked up the title during an award ceremony which was held at the Swanson Gallery in Thurso on Friday, beating off competition from six other nominations.
The building was designed by HRI Architects and built by Robertson Construction and houses students and staff working in the emerging marine renewable energy sector.
Principal Gordon Jenkins said the college was delighted to have won.
"The whole process was quite unexpected, as the first we knew about it was when we received a phone call from the judges asking if they could come and inspect the building," he said.
"The centre was built as an extension of the Environmental Research Institute as well as a facility to train students for jobs in the renewable industry market.
"Despite not being aware that we had been nominated, we were proud to receive the award and look forward to the final in Inverness."
The Centre for Energy and Environment, which was completed in 2009, is set to have its official opening along with the Engineering, Technology and Energy Centre which will be conducted by First Minister Alex Salmond later this month.
The awards have been held every two years since 2008 and aim to raise awareness of the importance of good design and architecture.
The judges for t he north region were architects Duncan Macdonald and Colin Munro together with Jean Urquhart MSP as the lay member judge.
Speaking at the awards ceremony, north judging panel chairman Duncan Macdonald said it had been a tough job deciding on the winners given the great diversity of the nominees.
"We had everything from a research centre to a bird hide, from a proposed building shaped like a whale to old mill buildings converted into a house," he said.
"The short list truly reflected the breadth of work being undertaken in the Highlands and Islands and was a real showcase of the talent in this part of the world."
The Dunbar Hospital in Thurso was the only other building from Caithness in the list of seven nominations which included entries from Embo, Tain and Ullapool.
The awards are divided into six regions covering a vast area from Shetland to Lochaber, from the Western Isles to Moray.
Short-listed entries for the regional awards will be showcased at local exhibitions throughout the summer.
Regional winners then go forward to the main Highlands and Islands awards to be held on Friday,
November 9.