Parliament of Scotland (Debating Chamber & Committee Rooms)
Edinburgh, Scotland
Sir David Steel, Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament claimed “This building is the most important to be built in
Scotland for 300 years”.
The Parliament is a complex of nine buildings with dynamic three-dimensional spaces including the Member of Scottish
Parliament (MSP) office building, four Assembly Building Towers, the Debating Chamber, Press Building, the Canonate
Library and research building, a glazed underground Lobby/Foyer with leaf-shaped skylights and restoration of
Queensberry House (c. 1500). In addition, the nearby National Park extends into the landscape of the project, making a
beautiful and seamless sweep of greenery, and the only location in the world with two ‘Crown Projects’ directly adjacent to
each other.
There are inventive and inspired lighting solutions in every building to accommodate a variety of functions, required light
levels and unique architectural conditions. The lighting design harmonizes with the architectural dynamic of the buildings
and solutions vary from luminaire’s in cast in concrete walls, to recessed and suspended solutions, while other areas have
luminous walls. The daylighting design is fundamentally integrated and embedded in the setting out point of the project.
This is done via the orientation of leaf-shaped assembly buildings used as oversized louvers to shield the Debating
Chamber from direct sunlight during times of TV Broadcast.
The Scottish Parliament building was awarded the Stirling Prize Award 2005 - the highest architectural award in the UK.
