Following-on from being awarded a Commendation by the Glasgow Institute of Architects, the development, which brought £3.6 million much needed investment into the community, won the prize for Age Exclusive Housing Development of the Year at the Scottish Home Awards at the Glasgow Hilton last week.

Despite being up against strong competition from developments across Scotland, the judges (who visited the development and spoke with a number of the residents) were particularly impressed with the social bonds that had already formed amongst the tenants.

They praised the high quality of the buildings’ design, choice of materials and the landscaped external spaces, which combine to provide great homes that are spacious, affordable to heat, encourage social interaction and which have been a positive addition to the physical appearance of the area.

In addition to both of these accolades, Fernan Gardens has been nominated for the prestigious Saltire Society award for Multiple Housing Design.

Occupying the site of a former social work centre which had lain derelict for a number of years, the development provides 29 amenity flats for the over 55s client group.

The high quality homes incorporate a number of design features intended to enhance the quality of life of residents in the development. These features include:

All homes in the development surround a common courtyard, which offering a good quality space for residents to share. Residents in the ground floor flats also enjoy a private terrace area with raised planting beds, which have been built at a height that makes them convenient for residents to plant and work at, should they so wish. The residents in the upper flats benefit from Juliette balconies, with glass balustrades.

A feature of the new development is the pedestrian pend entry which is entered via bespoke gates, and houses some beautiful artwork making the entrance to the development, warm, inviting and inspirational. Former World Chainsaw Sculpting Champion, Iain Chalmers, was commissioned to produce an “outdoor living room” which consists of a 3 piece suite, coffee table and old-style tv set – all carved from wood.

All these design features have, over the past year, enticed residents to get together socially and develop new friendships with their neighbours. The proximity of the development to local amenities and transport links will encourage residents to contribute to and benefit from community life in Shettleston.

Shettleston Housing Association director, Chris Cunningham, said: “Shettleston Housing Association is delighted with the success of this development. As well as looking great and being highly energy-efficient, it has helped to foster a real sense of community amongst the residents. One of the project’s main successes, so far, has been the way it has created a place where neighbours interact and look out for one another. For this older client group this is a great benefit, at a time in their lives when people risk becoming more socially isolated. The communal wifi system has also been proving successful in connecting people to the world digitally.”

Constructed on behalf of Shettleston Housing Association by Lovell and designed by architects Anderson Bell + Christie, the development’s amenity standard allows the homes to meet the changing demands of residents over time by being adapted to cope with any increase in needs, such as a requirement for wheelchair access.

Commenting on the win, Sarah Freel, regional partnerships director at Lovell, said: “Everyone at Lovell is absolutely thrilled that our new development in Shettleston, constructed in partnership with Shettleston Housing Association, has been named Development of the Year (age exclusive) at the 2017 Scottish Home Awards.

“Lovell has been building affordable partnership homes for over 45 years and continues to have a strong pipeline of work throughout central Scotland, demonstrating our ongoing commitment to building high-quality and affordable homes tailored to the local community’s specific needs.”