Parliament of Scotland (Landscape)
Edinburgh, Scotland

Beyond the separate lighting solutions developed for each building, a coherent lighting masterplan unites the exterior appearance of the Scottish Parliament’s pavilion-like buildings. Nighttime illumination reinforces the feeling of a parliamentary ‘village’ by accentuating the light that individual buildings emit from within. Windows and skylights are articulated with nocturnal lighting effects and silhouettes in mind. The lighting of the whole is calibrated to maintain a consistent color temperature and overall balance of brightness and contrast, linking the structures together as a group.

Extending the sense of an intimate scale, small luminaires are used instead of typical pole-mounted floodlights or bollards in the broader landscape, and are integrated with architectural detailing.

Client: Secretary of State of Scotland and the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body
Architect: Enric Miralles/Benedetta Tagliabue with RMJM Scotland
Photos: Roland Halbe (1, 4), Duccio Malagamba (2), Thomas Mayer (3, 5, 7), Scottish Parliament (6), Keith Hunter/Arcblue (8)