The four buildings shortlisted for one of Scotland’s most prestigious architecture awards have been announced.
The projects, which are all in the running for this year’s Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award, include a 16th-century tower in the Highlands and a bridge in Aberdeenshire.
The Doolan Award is the pinnacle of the The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS) annual awards programme. The shortlist was selected from the winners of the 2025 RIAS Awards, which were announced in June.
The judges will visit each of the shortlisted projects and score them based on architectural integrity, usability and context, delivery and execution, and sustainability.
The winner of the prestigious award will be announced in December.
Mary Duggan, chair of the 2025 Doolan Award jury, said: “This year’s rigorous selection process has produced a diverse shortlist of intelligent schemes that not only demonstrate architectural excellence, but also engage directly with the shifting political and behavioural circumstances that shape our public life.”
“They reveal how architecture can reinforce, respond to, and even anticipate these changes. I look forward to the upcoming visits and the conversations with my fellow jury members.”
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5. Nucleus, University of Edinburgh, by Sheppard Robson
The Nucleus building, in the heart of the University of Edinburgh, has been hailed as an "enduring and generous example" of civic architecture, creating a vibrant and dynamic new space for students and staff | Keith Hunter
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6. Nucleus, University of Edinburgh, by Sheppard Robson
The new building offers a mix of spaces for teaching, learning and socialising, encouraging opportunities for collaboration. RIAS said the space sets a "powerful precedent" for Scottish university design | Keith Hunter
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7. Union Terrace Gardens, Aberdeen, by Stallan-Brand Architecture + Design & LDA Design
This ambitious project has revived Aberdeen’s Union Terrace Gardens, a key public space in the city. The three pavilions offer a café, restaurant and wine bar. RIAS said: "Union Terrace Gardens is now a landmark cultural and inclusive destination that demonstrates the power of contextual, people-centred design in transforming a city’s sense of place." | Andrew Lee
8. Union Terrace Gardens, Aberdeen, by Stallan-Brand Architecture + Design & LDA Design
The project delivers an extensive landscape with conservation elements including the sensitively restored statues, railings, arcade arches and subterranean Victorian toilets – now proudly reinstated and open to the public | Hardscape