Development Transformation of the Year

Craighouse by Oberlanders Architects

Craighouse is presented as a major heritage-led residential transformation, reworking significant listed buildings and the wider site into a mixed housing scheme. The submission frames the project as a careful balance of conservation, enabling development and long-term viability, with emphasis on retaining important historic spaces while creating new homes within a complex and highly constrained setting.

 

The material highlights a broad design response covering masterplanning, landscape, sustainability and community use. It describes restored internal features, the integration of distinctive building elements into living spaces, and improvements to the setting through landscape-led interventions, including approaches to drainage and environmental resilience. The narrative positions the scheme as a substantial example of adapting sensitive historic fabric for contemporary residential use.

 

Judges praised the ambition, scale and quality of the heritage refurbishment, especially the revival of a listed building and the care shown to key interior spaces such as the Great Hall and staircase. They also welcomed the wider impact of the project, including its community landscape value, sustainable approach and the way it addresses a complex large-scale transformation within a challenging listed context. 


WHAT THE JUDGES SAID:

  • Craighouse concerns two genuinely significant Category A listed buildings, and the ambition here is real. The submission makes a series of substantial claims about heritage protection, commercial viability through enabling development, housing mix, landscape value and climate resilience, presenting Craighouse as an exemplar for the retrofit of significant heritage.

    —

  • High quality, heritage led refurbishment of a building on the buildings at risk register. The retention of the Great Hall and associated heritage spaces welcomed and quality of refurbishment and approach to heritage features internally commendable.  

    —

  • The development encompasses master planning, conservation, landscape, sustainability and community as required and all within a large listed building - all the things that I think this category is looking for - that I have no doubt had challenges at every corner, especially given its listed status. Well done!

    —

Highly Commended and Shortlisted:

Upper Berkeley Street

Dolphin Square Restoration Programme

Copyright © 2026 Haymarket Media Group Limited. All Rights Reserved.