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Scottish Parliament Building, Architect, Photo, Design, Enric Miralles, Images
Scottish Parliament Building : Architecture Information
Holyrood Development, Scotland : RMJM + EMBT : Architecture Information
Scottish Parliament : Architecture
Limited public access to the building

building image © Keith Hunter from RMJM ; MSP
Foyer View © Adrian Welch
Scottish Parliament Building
- Tours + Background on dates / opening times
Scottish Parliament Security Competition
Proposed £5m Scottish Parliament suicide bomber defence
recommended by MI5. Contest to design a new screening facility, possible
relocation of the public entrance to the parliament and a redesign
of the public area inside it.
TheEdinburgh Evening News report that the Scottish Parliament is seeking
an architect-led team to design the extension, which would have to
be in keeping with the rest of the building. The area where visitors
currently queue for airport-style scanners is almost directly underneath
the debating chamber and MI5 warned screening ought to take place
before people enter the building. Concerns have been raised about
the position of the parliament's public entrance close to the corner
with the Royal Mile- one option is to move it south, beside the public
cafe location. The proposed new extension is expected to cover an
area of about 250 square metres. 13 Mar 2010
Scottish Parliament requirement for the Design of a Visitor Security
Screening Facility and Associated Areas - details at www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk
where registered suppliers are able to download the Prequalification
Questionnaire (PQQ) and the PQQ Evaluation Guidance.
Scottish Parliament Building
Architect : Enric Miralles - EMBT/RMJM
Location : east end of Royal Mile, Old Town, Edinburgh, Scotland
Date built : 2004
Key award : Stirling Prize + Andrew Doolan Award for Architecture,
2005
Style: contemporary architecture, mixing Catalan + local influences
Edinburgh Architecture Walking Tours - include a visit to the building
& description of the exterior: Contact Isabelle Lomholt on 01620
825722 / 07952 149814

images © Keith Hunter from RMJM
Scottish Parliament Architecture - Tours
Visit and try to understand the legacy of late architect Enric Miralles
- check with the Scottish Parliament: Contact on 0131 348 5200 or
0800 092 7600
Debating Chamber access depends on parliamentary business
Spanish Architect - Information & Books:
Scottish
Parliament Architect - Enric Miralles
Scottish Parliament Building Tours: scroll towards base of page
for details
Scottish Parliament
- Photos

photograph © Jason Baxter
New Scottish Parliament - Devolution
Architecture Competition announced by Scottish Office in 1998: 12
architect teams shortlisted, then narrowed down to 5 groups of Scottish
+ foreign architect teams.
Enric Miralles + RMJM Architects won and by 1999 the Assembly Building
was on site in Holyrood.
Debating Chamber with MSP Desks, Well looking south
Outline
Controversial Issues such as choice of site, timing, architect (non-scottish),
followed by escalating costs (from an unrealistic benchmark), left
the design of the Scottish Parliament Building often neglected in
the Press. Sir David Steel, Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament
claimed "This building is the most important to be built in
Scotland for 300 years": although this no doubt refers back
to the Act of Union in 1707, the point has architectural validity
too.
Tragedy
Architect Enric Miralles died in 2000 (aged 45) a few months after
construction on the Scottish Parliament Building commenced.
Donald Dewar also died in 2000: he was Secretary of State for Scotland,
and then First Minister in the Scottish Parliament, selected the Holyrood
site and also Enric Miralles as principal architect for the project.
Scottish Parliament
Buildings
The New Scottish Parliament building is divided as follows:-

site plan
MSP Building - East of site
Queensberry House - North of site, refurbishment
Assembly Buildings - East of site
The Scottish Parliament Assembly Buildings
Canongate Building - the cantilevered building onto the Royal Mile
MSP Foyer (Garden Lobby) - between the latter, the Towers & Queensberry
House
Towers - four buildings, contain Committee rooms, offices, etc.
Debating Chamber - incl. exhibition spaces, cafeteria, etc.
Press Tower - just north of latter, housing studios
photograph from the east ; MSP Block south facade, MSP east stair to right, pictures © Adrian
Welch
Design Influences
Influences for the Scottish Parliament architecture reported include
upturned boats at Holy Island, flower paintings & Glasgow School
of Art by architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Architect influences
are noted by Gillespie as Aalto, Kahn, Pietila, Coderch, Lapena &
Torres, Viaplana & Pinon.

MSP Foyer: image by Keith Hunter Aug 2004 from EMBT/RMJM
Architect Louis Kahn was a strong influence on architect Enric Miralles,
the Kimbell Museum buildings vaults specifically for the three
tapering vaults of the Debating Chamber ground floor.
Scottish
Parliament influence - Lindisfarne boat.....just over the border
into England

Holy Island Boat - influence: photo © Adrian
Welch 2006
Building Opening
The First Debate was on 7 Sep 2004
Official Opening of the building by HM Queen took place 9 Oct 2004
Relevant Links
Scottish Parliament Architecture
: Building Tours
Scottish Parliament Building
: Architecture Competition Background
Scottish Parliament Context -
Edinburgh Old Town Buildings
Scottish Parliament Competition
: Leith Proposal
Forrmer Scottish Parliament -
New College building, Old Town, Edinburgh:

Former Temporary Home at the Mound, image ©
Adrian Welch
Architecture Book by Enric Miralles
'Works and Projects, 1975-1995'
author Enric Miralles, architect
edited by Juanjo Lahuerta
edited by Benedetta Tagliabue Miralles
272 pp 400 illustrations, 100 in color
£27.50
Enric
Miralles Architecture
The Scottish Parliament Building can be viewed from the Canongate
(Royal Mile), Horse Guards and Holyrood Road, Edinburgh Old Town.
Edinburgh Architecture Tours
can include a visit around the building's exterior
info@edinburgharchitecture.co.uk / 01620 825722 for details
Scottish Parliament Architecture : Tour inside the building 0131 348
5200
Scottish
Architecture : best buildings in Scotland of the last three decades
Scottish Parliament : Best
Building in Scotland winner in 2005
Scottish Parliament Building
: Reviews

Holyrood Debating Chamber ; MSP Foyer 'leaf' ; Tower 2 ; L4 Towers - Roofs
Scottish Parliament Guided Tours : some parts of the building such
as under the Debating Chamber - Foyer, Shop, Cafeteria - are accessible
for free without booking: check with the Scottish Parliament for dates
& opening times
New Scottish Parliament Building - Book: Enric
Miralles Architect
MSP Block with Queensberry House ; Debating
Chamber - nodes : image © Keith Hunter from EMBT/RMJM
Archived images of the Scottish Parliament available upon request
to info@edinburgharchitecture.co.uk
Scottish
Parliament : Scottish Design Awards 2005 - Best Publicly Funded
Building in Scotland + Architecture Grand Prix
Scottish Parliament Building : Edinburgh Architectural Association
Centenary Medal
Other Building designed by RMJM Architects in Edinburgh:
Scottish Executive Building,
Leith
Scottish
Parliament Architects - RMJM Scotland
Scottish Parliament photos without direct credits were all approved
by RMJM/Scottish Parliament in 2004 for use on the website. Parliament
building images are frequently requested - please right click on the
photographs you desire and mail us with the titles. We will try to
contact the relevant people / photographer
Old Scottish Parliament,
Edinburgh Old Town - historic architecture
Scottish
Parliament Award : Civic Trust Awards 2006 Scotland winner
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Edinburgh Architecture : homepage
Comments / photos
for the Scottish Parliament Architecture page welcome:
info@e-architect.co.uk
Scottish Parliament Building Edinburgh : page
- adrian welch / isabelle lomholt |
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