After Scotland had voted “yes” to have their own parliament in 1997 the then Secretary of State for Scotland Donald Dewar commissioned the design for a new building to house this parliament. In an international competition a leaf-based abstract design by Enric Miralles was chosen in 1998. Construction began in June 1999, but the project soon proved to be more ambitious than expected, resulting in years of delays and spiraling costs, which led to a government review and years of easy work of journalists looking for stories. This was made worse by the death of two main figures who could have made executive decisions that could have made the situation better – Donald Dewar (October 2000) and Enric Miralles (July 2000). Five years and £414.4million later, MSPs finally held their first meeting in the building on 7th September 2004, and was officially opened by the Queen on 9th October 2004. The hassles of building it were soon forgotten as the building gain much critical acclaim and won a number of awards, including the 2005 Stirling Prize. However, public attitude (mostly shaped by the headlines it generated during its construction) is mixed. But it’s still early days….
It has been described by landscape architect Charles
Jencks as "a tour de force of arts and crafts and quality without
parallel in the last 100 years of British architecture".
Architect
Enric
Miralles was born in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1955. He graduated from
the Escola Tècnica Superior d'Arquitectura (ETSAB) at the Universitat Politècnica
de Catalunya (UPC) in 1978. He formed his first office in Barcelona with his
first wife Carme Pinós
in 1984, but they split up in 1991. He formed a new practise EMBT with his
second wife Benedetta
Tagliabue in 1993. Before designing the Scottish Parliament Building, his
portfolio included a number of public buildings in Spain, including the archery
range used in the 1992 Olympics and Igualada Cemetery (both in Barcelona). He
also had works in the Netherlands, Germany and Italy. He died of a brain tumor
aged just 45, during Parliament’s construction. He is buried in the cemetery he designed.
Location
It was once
the sight of the Scottish & Newcastle Holyrood Brewery, which was built by
William Younger in 1781. It once brewed 25% of Scotland’s beer, until production ceased
there in the 1950s. The company had used the building as their HQ until finally
closing completely in 1986. The choice of this sight was a sort of last-minute
decision, as the brewery was still in the mist of demolition and clearing
during the design competition. With its close proximity to The Royal Mile,
Holyrood Palace and Holyrood Park (featuring Arthur’s Seat and the Salisbury Crags), it no wonder
it was chosen as a sight for parliament to meet.
Design
Miralles’ inspiration for the design can be
summed up as this - leaves, nature, the sea and Scotland’s history. From a field of 70
architects, narrowed down to five. The Selection Panel (chaired by Dewer) asked
for concept proposals, instead of detailed designs. While the other four
competitors produced typical designs that looked like monumental assembly
halls, Miralles produced a more poetic abstract response which can be described
as a “leaves and twigs.”
It is said that during the
first design meeting Miralles turned up with some leaves and twigs, placed them
on the table and proclaimed “That’s the Scottish Parliament.” This unique response won him the commission
in July 1998. Its location near Holyrood Park and The Royal Mile helped shape
the nature and historic aspects of the design. The leave shape is evident when
you look at the building from above. They are many references to Scotland’s past throughout the design. Can
you spot them?
The shape of the roofs was
inspired by the sight of Edwin Lutyens'
sheds, made from upturned fishing boats which he saw on a visit to Lindisfarne, Northumberland.
Landscaping
From the
beginning Miralles spoke about the parliament “sitting in the land”,
referencing the ancient tribal meetings that took place outdoors. The
south-eastern part of the site is a landscaped garden extended towards Holyrood
Park. It features concreate “branches” covered in turf and wild grass,
providing seating for visitors. The area is filled with indigenous Scottish
wildflowers and plants, to blend it in with the adjacent Holyrood Park and
Salisbury Crags.
The oak and
lime trees there are designed to mirror the ones at Holyrood Palace. Rowan
trees are also present throughout the site (for good luck).
MSP
Building
The MSP
Building contains the offices for 108 MSPs plus two members of staff for each
of them. The building is 6storys high at the north end and 4storys high at the
south end.
Its most
noted feature are the 114 projected stainless steel and oak wood bay windows.
These form “contemplation spaces” or “Think modules” inside each office, each containing a window
seat and some shelving. Their shape is a mix of a leaf motif and the
crow-stepped gable decoration found on many buildings designed in the Baronial
style. But it is also said to be an abstract reference to the Henry Raeburn
painting The Skating Minister (see Architect).
Symbols
The abstract shapes on the façade are the most noted feature of the building. They have been called “hair-dryers”, “trigger-panels” and “tilted bodies.” According to the architect’s wife, based on his previous work, the “trigger-panels” represent an unveiling curtain – a symbol of transparency.
Inside, the
cross (as in the Saltire flag of Scotland) can be observed throughout the
building. The most noted example are the crosses embedded in the vaulted
concreate ceiling in the entrance lobby.
Sustainability
Sustainability
is big feature in the building. It was built on a brownfield site with short
proximity to public transport. All electricity used is from renewable sources
and hot water is provided by solar panels on the Canongate Building. The
building is highly insulated for winter, but to combat possible overheating
during the summer, natural ventilation is used wherever possible. If that’s not possible, computers open
windows when high temperatures are detected. Some concrete floors are
also cooled by water from 25m (80ft) deep bore holes beneath the site
which also provide water for the toilets. As a result of all this, the use of traditional heat/air con systems is
limited to just 20% of the building.
Canongate
Wall
One thing you‘ll notice as you walk down Canongate is the Canongate Wall. Set in concrete are a variety of samples of Scottish native rock. A number of these slabs of rock (designed by Sora Smithton) have quotations inscribed on them (carved by Gillian Forbes and Martin Reilly), in English, Gaelic, and Scots. They vary from proverbs to pieces of poetry from Scottish writers. They were originally 24 quotes on the wall, but two were added in 2014 to mark the building’s 10th anniversary.
The wall features
an etching based on a sketch of a view of the Old Town by the architect from
his bedroom window in the Balmoral Hotel.
Queensberry
House
The old A-listed grand house that is attached to the complex is Queensbury House, once home of the Marquis of Queensberry. Originally built in c1667 for Dame Margaret Douglas of Balmakellie, it was bought in c1689 by William Douglas, 1st Duke of Queensberry. His eldest son James, 2nd Duke of Queensberry was an important figure in the dissolution of Scotland’s original parliament in 1707. It was re-modelled in the Georgian style it looks like today in the 18th century and from 1803-1996 the house was used as a hospital. Today, it houses the office of the Presiding Officer, two Deputy Presiding Officers, the Parliament’s Chief Executive, and other staff, plus a private bar for MSPs and guests. It also houses the collection of Donald Dewar in what was once James Douglas’ bedroom.
Inscribed on the floor of the entrance (in steel and whinstone by Gary Breeze) is a translation of St Paul in Scots, of 1 Corinthians, Chapter 13, Verse 1.
There is believed to be a ghost present in the house of an unlucky kitchen boy. It’s said that when the Act of Union was signed in 1707, during the festivities/riots that resulted, the mad Earl of Drumlanrig, James Douglas escaped custody to the kitchen, roasted him alive on a spit and began to eat him before been apprehended again. This incident is referenced in Ian Rankin’s 2000 Inspector Rebus novel Set in Darkness.
Comments
Post a Comment