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
Deputy editor of AT, Tim Fraser, discusses the newly formed society with its current chair, Chris Halligan MCIAT.
Barratt Lo-E passivhaus standard homes planned enmasse
With an initial 728 Lo-E homes across two sites and many more planned for the future.
Government urged to uphold Warm Homes commitment
ECA and industry bodies write to Government concerning its 13.2 billion Warm Homes manifesto commitment.
Places of Worship in Britain and Ireland, 1929-1990. Book review.
The emancipation of women in art.
CIOB Construction Manager of the Year 2025
Just one of the winners at the CIOB Awards 2025.
Call for independent National Grenfell oversight mechanism
MHCLG share findings of Building Safety Inquiry in letter to Secretary of State and Minister for Building Safety.
The Architectural Technology Awards
AT Awards now open for this the sixth decade of CIAT.
50th Golden anniversary ECA Edmundson awards
Deadline for submissions Friday 30 May 2025.
The benefits of precast, off-site foundation systems
Top ten benefits of this notable innovation.
Encouraging individuals to take action saving water at home, work, and in their communities.
Takes a community to support mental health and wellbeing
The why of becoming a Mental Health Instructor explained.
Mental health awareness week 13-18 May
The theme is communities, they can provide a sense of belonging, safety, support in hard times, and a sense purpose.
Mental health support on the rise but workers still struggling
CIOB Understanding Mental Health in the Built Environment 2025 shows.
Design and construction material libraries
Material, sample, product or detail libraries a key component of any architectural design practice.
Construction Products Reform Green Paper and Consultation
Still time to respond as consultation closes on 21 May 2025.
Resilient façade systems for smog reduction in Shanghai
A technical approach using computer simulation and analysis of solar radiation, wind patterns, and ventilation.