Scottish Parliament Building
See the rest of the Unusual building of the week series here.
Scotland’s Parliament Building is located at the foot of Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, opposite Holyrood Palace and overlooked by Salisbury Crags and Arthur’s Seat. It was designed by the Spanish architect Enric Miralles, who died shortly before its completion in 2004, having been under construction since 1999. Miralles had drawn inspiration from the surrounding landscape, saying that he wanted a building that appeared to be ‘growing out of the ground’.
Rather than being a single building, the Parliament is a campus of several, each reflecting different architectural styles, with a total floor area of 31,000 sq. m. The roof of the buildings is distinctive, reminiscent of upturned boats on the seashore.
They are constructed from a mixture of steel, oak and granite. A great deal of landscape also forms part of the architecture, with 60% of the urban site being covered in vegetation.
The Debating Chamber is a modernist space finished in oak, sycamore and glass, with a complex roof structure made from tensile steel wires and steel-reinforced oak beams.
From the outset of the project, the building proved controversial, with many detractors from politics, media and the public. It was delivered 3 years late and had an estimated final cost of £414 m, drastically higher than the initial estimates of £10-40m. The high profile Fraser Inquiry into the construction criticised the management of the whole project, from the handling of cost increases to the implementation of design variations. These changes in design often required re-work on the project and a knock-on effect onto other aspects, such as making the building bomb-proof was not a requirement from the start, as was the need for ICT, and then the clients kept changing their minds, causing delays on that aspect.
Despite controversy however, the project is generally considered to be an architectural success, praised as one of the most innovative buildings in the UK. It was awarded the 2005 Stirling Prize.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
- Building of the week series.
- CCTV Headquarters.
- Devolution.
- Dunmore Pineapple.
- Edinburgh Castle.
- Fuji TV Building, Tokyo.
- Manchester Civil Justice Centre.
- Ministry of Transportation Building, Georgia.
- Mr Barry's War.
- Niteroi Contemporary Art Museum.
- Palace of Westminster.
- Sage Gateshead.
- The Kremlin.
- Unusual building design of the week.
[edit] External resources
Featured articles and news
We're expanding our collaborative mission by launching DB Intelligence, an exclusive market research advisory panel. Built environment professionals can now get paid to share their expertise on industry trends, products and services.
Panel members receive direct financial incentives for participating in research projects like short surveys, 1-2-1 interviews and focus groups. Register today to shape the future of the construction sector.
Planning condition discharge in England and Wales
A brief exoplanation from a building compliance expert, with further links.
Overheating guidance and tools for building designers
Guidance for dealing with element of building fabric control that have increasing importance.
Shading for housing, a design guide
From the Good Homes Alliance and British Blind and Shutter Association.
UK Standard Skills Classification (SSC)
A shared framework for describing skills needs.
Social media ban consultation comes to close
CIOB urges UK Government to consider social media’s role in careers guidance in ban debate.
The latest of eight Skills England apprenticeship units
The addition of battery manufacturing welcomed by ECA with a warning about the risks of fast-tracked apprenticeship units.
Building Control Independent Panel final report
A precis of a key report led by Dame Hackitt with full recommendations and link to the government response.
Building Safety recap April, 2026
A short and longer run-through of the month, with links to further information and sources.
CIAT May 2026 briefing.
From medieval scribes to modern word art.
ECA welcomes crackdown on late payment and push for clean energy, whilst CIOB seek fixed cladding removal timeframes.
Cyber Security in the Built Environment
Protecting projects, data, and digital assets: A CIOB Academy TIS.
Managing competence in the built environment
ITFG publishes new industry guide on how to meet the ICC principles.
The UK's campaign to reduce noise pollution: Mythbusting, articles and topic guides.