The Saltire Society's Housing Design Awards were established in 1937 to identify high quality housing developments. At the time the panel were concerned about Scottish vernacular and they rewarded projects that they felt contributed to keeping the traditions of rural house building alive.
Over the last 65 years the concerns of the panel have changed with the requirements of the housing market and broader social and political concerns. As more of the population look for a 'home for life' and adapt that home to suit their lifestyle at various points in their life, architects and builders are being called upon to find creative solutions to extension and conversion problems.