The Design Challenge

The design of every new community needs to consider where and how its residents will live, learn, work, play, socialise and relax. In designing and creating new communities, we must think about how we can help people to live sustainably, meeting their present needs whilst preserving the environment for future generations.

Capability Scotland in partnership with the Ministry of Building Innovation and Education (MOBIE) invited young people across Scotland to work on a Design Challenge alongside disabled people to explore ideas and build an inclusive community at Bertha Park.

Architect and TV Presenter George Clarke founded MOBIE in 2017 to inspire young people to revolutionise the way we thought about the places we lived. He aims to give younger generations a way to define how they want to live now and in the future.

Capability Scotland worked with MOBIE to support the “Building an inclusive community at Bertha Park” challenge.

The challenge aimed to bring together aspiring designers and Capability Scotland service users to explore ideas, themes designs for an innovative ‘inclusive community’ to be built on the outskirts of Perth, at Bertha Park.

The key themes of the challenge were:

• Building an inclusive community – accessibility to social interactions, opportunities to share space, resources and activities, and landscaping.
• Sustainability – saving water, energy-efficient design, energy storage, and renewable energy generation.

We also welcomed input and collaboration on topics out with these key themes.

The submissions

We received an overwhelming number of creative and innovative design options from young people across Scotland, the panel of expert judges had a tough time carefully reviewing and evaluating each submission.

The judging criteria included: visual representation of the masterplans, alignment with the design brief and strategy, and consideration of green energy and climate change in the plans.

The judges included MOBIE founder George Clarke, Mark Southgate, CEO MOBIE, Caroline Dearden, Anderson Bell + Christie architects, Niamh Waldron, Sigma Capital Group, accessible Travel & Disability Blogger, Simply Emma, wheelchair athlete and disability sport advocate, Gemma Lumsdaine, Mark Hamilton, Springfield Properties and Dr Lynn Wilson FRSA Architecture and Design Scotland.

The winners

George Clarke said: “Inspiring young talent to help define the communities of the future is a real passion of mine. Creating communities that are innovative, beautiful, genuinely sustainable, and transform the quality of people’s lives is why we run these challenges”

“I was blown away by the quality of submissions. Each was incredibly well thought out and took into account the varied and complex needs of those who will use the spaces”.

Head judge, George Clarke, surprised us all announcing joint winners Isla Bethune, of Bertha Park High School, and Tassi Forbes, Perth Modern High School, at the awards ceremony at Upper Springland in June 2023.

Both submissions wowed the judges with their innovative designs. As well as winning category awards for College Design and School Sustainability they were the joint overall winners.

Unique trophies created by the people we support at The Studio day service were presented, and each of the category winners has been given the opportunity to participate in work experience with Anderson, Bell + Christie Architects.

Overall joint winners – Isla Bethune and Tassi Forbes

Inclusive Design (joint winners) – Annaty and Studio, Upper Springland

Placemaking – Coresford College

College Design – Isla Bethune, Bertha Park High (see Isla’s submission here)

School Sustainability – Tassi Forbes, Perth High School (see Tassi’s submission here)