Innovation award

Norscot took home the Innovation of the Year trophy at the recent Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards 2018.

Norscot Joinery – the Highlands and Islands fabricator of Veka PVCU windows and doors, and timber frame kits – received the award in partnership with the University of Strathclyde, in recognition for the research and development of virtual reality show home software.

Having identified a major challenge in the self-build market – that of customers being unable to ‘visualise’ their future home designs through traditional paper plans and CAD designs alone – Norscot began to work with the University of Strathclyde on software that allows a customer to ‘walk through’ their new-build via a combination of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and virtual reality technology.

The winning collaboration was born as Interface, the government-backed organisation that links businesses with academic partners, pairing Norscot to the University of Strathclyde through the Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) initiative.

Norscot’s chairman Peter Body said: “While the idea is very simple, it is taking a small army of very clever and supportive people to bring it to fruition. I thank them all for the progress to date, which has exceeded expectations. This award is a very welcome recognition of the project’s potential, which will further enthuse the team to make it a success.

Veka Group’s sales director Neil Evans said: “Norscot has a hard-working team that have never shied away from innovative technologies. Innovation of the Year is certainly an accolade to be proud of.”