Royal Scottish Academy: Playfair Project
Architects: John Miller & Partners
RSA Phase 1: 2001-03; RSA Phase II 2002-2004
Royal Scottish Academy, The Mound, Edinburgh, Scotland
photos © adrian welch 2006
photos © adrian welch 2006
Weston Link photos © Adrian Welch
The RSA is a sedate, well-proportioned 'Greek' style building, with new insertions by John Miller & Partners, Phase I completed Summer 2003; Phase II - including restaurant facing East onto Princes St Gardens - currently on site:
RSA Building Edinburgh: image © Adrian Welch
Royal Scottish Academy: Playfair Project architects - John Miller & Partners
Royal Scottish Academy: Recent Refurbishment
A competition-winning Project to link the Royal Scottish Academy with the National Gallery of Scotland (both Grade One Listed), with a new Concourse Level under the existing Mound.
Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh: images © Adrian Welch
Royal Scottish Academy in context from Princes Street Gardens:
Hub to far left, New College silhouette in middle, RSA in foreground to right
Edinburgh buildings: photo © Adrian Welch
The new Concourse Level will provide a new shop, restaurant suite, lecture theatre and educational rooms linking to both the existing Royal Scottish Academy and National Gallery buildings with two new public staircases and lifts. It will provide new IT exhibition spaces and additional plant areas to serve these as well as adding a new entrance, circulation and reception areas from Princes Gardens East.
Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh: image from John Miller & Partners
Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh: image from John Miller & Partners
Phase One of the Project upgrades the existing Royal Scottish Academy Building providing modern plant and environmental standards, new disabled access facilitites, a new lift for art handling as well as a new concourse link staircase and lift. It provides additional exhibition spaces and the means to mount several exhibitions simultaneously. Phase One will also deal with the conservation aspects of the existing structure, as extensive underpinning has already been necessary to prevent further movement to the original building.
Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh: image by Hayes Davidson
Drawings of the Project exhibited at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2000 won two awards; the AJ Bovis Lend Lease Non-member's Award and the Worshipfiul Company of Chartered Architects Measured Drawing Prize.
Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh: image from Princes St Gardens © Adrian Welch
RSA Refurbishment total estimated cost £26m. Phase One started on site in May 2001, was due to commence Summer 2002 but opened Summer 2003.
Royal Scottish Academy Exhibition : 2007 Review
Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh: 2004 Update
The Playfair Project is now complete and open.
Royal Scottish Academy - Article on Playfair Project incl. Phase I Opening
by Adrian Welch for Building Design
Scottish Architecture: best Scottish Buildings of the last three decades
Edinburgh Art Galleries:
National Gallery of Scotland
SNGMA + Dean Gallery
Scottish Portrait Gallery
RSA + Playfair Project
Fruitmarket Gallery
Edinburgh : back to index
RSA under development in 2004:
Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh: image © Adrian Welch
The RSA John Kinross Scholarship
Royal Scottish Academy PR
Thirteen Scottish students win scholarship to live and study in Florence
for three months.
The John Kinross Memorial Fund was established in 1982 by Mr JB Kinross
CBE, HRSA in memory of his father, John Kinross RSA, a renowned architect
who was greatly influenced by Florence. The fund is intended to assist
young artists and architects in Scotland, within the disciplines of
Painting, Sculpture, Printmaking and Architecture. The John Kinross
Scholarship is open to students from the four main colleges of art and six
schools of architecture in Scotland.
Edinburgh Walking Tours
Royal Scottish Academy Annual Exhibition: 2006 News
Royal Scottish Academy Annual Exhibition: 2005 Review