Ten years on from devolution, Scottish contemporary architecture is, as the following highlights strongly suggest, not only alive and kicking, but also seemingly punching above its weight.
Indeed more than ever Scottish architects are strutting their stuff in the international arena: from RMJM in Russia and Sutherland Hussey in China, as well as the following featured projects - Hutton, Dalziel and Scullion’s pavilion installation in Jeddah and NORD’s Olympic Park monolithic substation in London.
Closer to home recently emerged key public buildings, including Reiach and Hall’s new Stobhill Hospital and Archial’s Animal Hospital in Glasgow, have effectively upped the ante in terms of leading edge healthcare design and in doing so could readily occupy any European stage.
On a more intimate level, and addressing Scotland’s more windswept and wilder terrain, young practices such as Skye based Rural Design and Dualchas are demonstrating an increasing willingness to embrace riskier and more experimental, yet nevertheless site sympathetic, design. Caledonia dreaming, in many built instances, is becoming a reality.
Architect: Zaha Hadid Architects
Project: Museum of Transport, Glasgow
A defining moment in the regeneration of Glasgow’s River Clyde is currently emerging in the wave or ‘pleated’ form of the new Museum of Transport by Zaha Hadid Architects. Located where the River Kelvin flows into the Clyde, the building has been designed to ‘flow’ from the city to the river. This has been achieved by means of undulating outer pleats, enclosing the support services and black box exhibits, which allow the main central space to be column-free and open. Circulation runs through the main exhibition space, and includes various strategic openings that enable visitors to build up a gradual sense of the external city and seascape as they move from exhibit to exhibit. Both front and end elevations are expressed as an expansive clear glass façade with a large overhang to reduce solar exposure to the building interior and allow further expansive views up and down the Clyde.
Project: Museum of Transport, Glasgow
A defining moment in the regeneration of Glasgow’s River Clyde is currently emerging in the wave or ‘pleated’ form of the new Museum of Transport by Zaha Hadid Architects. Located where the River Kelvin flows into the Clyde, the building has been designed to ‘flow’ from the city to the river. This has been achieved by means of undulating outer pleats, enclosing the support services and black box exhibits, which allow the main central space to be column-free and open. Circulation runs through the main exhibition space, and includes various strategic openings that enable visitors to build up a gradual sense of the external city and seascape as they move from exhibit to exhibit. Both front and end elevations are expressed as an expansive clear glass façade with a large overhang to reduce solar exposure to the building interior and allow further expansive views up and down the Clyde.
