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A Policy on Architecture for Scotland
PROGRESS REPORT 2005
1 STRATEGY AND INTENTIONS
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Radisson SAS
Hotel, Glasgow
Gordon Murray and Alan Dunlop
Architects
Photograph: Andrew Lee | The
Space, Dance Studios, Dundee College,
Dundee Nicoll Russell Studios
Photograph: Keith Hunter
© Arcblue |
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A central aim of the policy on architecture is to
encourage a greater public interest in the built
environment and to raise awareness of its importance in the
cultural life of Scotland. During the development of
policy, we considered that the establishment of a long term
strategy for taking forward our advocacy and promotional
aims should be an early priority. We believed that a
national centre for architecture could provide a clear
focus for this strategy and, in the public consultation on
the development of policy in 2000, there was strong
endorsement for the role of a national architecture centre
in raising the profile of architecture in Scotland, in
stimulating debate and discussion, in developing
initiatives on education, and in encouraging community
interest in the built environment.
The Lighthouse, Scotland's Centre for Architecture
Design and the City, opened in 1999 and is one of the key
legacies of Glasgow's year as the UK's City of Architecture
and Design. In a very short time, The Lighthouse
established itself as an important hub for the creative
industries in Scotland, and also established a strong
profile and links both in Europe and elsewhere. Through
commissioning a National Programme of activities in line
with policy, we sought to consolidate the position of The
Lighthouse as the national centre for architecture. Funding
was initially provided to The Lighthouse for the
development of a three year National Programme on
architecture. The programme, which includes touring
exhibitions, community events and a national website on
architecture, has now been extended, with increased
funding, to 2008.
We are committed to the promotion of Scottish
architecture both at home and abroad. As the National
Programme has bedded in and the programme of national
touring exhibitions has become firmly established, we have
been able to place greater emphasis on international
promotion. Our strategy for exhibition development has
taken account of priorities in the Executive's
Promotion of Scotland strategy. In the past year,
events have taken place in Catalonia, the Netherlands,
France and Italy.
In the framework document, we indicated our belief that
the opportunity to develop an understanding of architecture
and the built environment should be part of the social and
cultural education of all our young people. Because of
this, the policy contains a commitment to work to deliver,
through the National Grid for Learning (NGfL), online
interactive teaching resource material on architecture and
the built environment.
www.buildingconnections.co.uk
has been developed with The Lighthouse as a major resource
for schoolchildren on the built environment which forms
part of the National Grid for Learning. Building
Connections brings together educational resources, ideas
and case studies from organisations, individuals, schools
and local authorities across Scotland, and all content is
appropriate for the curriculum in Scottish schools.
Building Connections is intended to enhance teaching and
learning across the entire curriculum, with stimulating
resources to support the development of programmes of
study, group work and individual learning.
One of the key objectives of the policy on architecture
was to ensure that the planning and building standards
systems and their associated processes both promote and
facilitate high quality in development. In order to take
this objective forward, the Executive made a commitment to
review the status, organisation and remit appropriate for a
national design review body to provide independent advice
on development procedures. We considered this task to be
one of the highest priorities during the first years of
policy implementation. For over seventy years, the Royal
Fine Art Commission for Scotland (RFACS) has advised
Ministers, local authorities and other bodies on questions
of amenity and, in particular, major development proposals
likely to have strong visual impact, or to be of
considerable significance to the environment. In line with
the above policy commitment, a fundamental review of RFACS
was carried out, and a new body, 'Architecture and Design
Scotland' will be set up to replace RFACS from April 2005.
The new body will continue the design review function of
RFACS, but will have a wider, more proactive role in the
promotion and advocacy of good design, and the increased
funding and additional activities proposed for the new body
will enable it to assist more effectively in the
implementation of the policy on architecture.
Since the launch of policy, we have sought to build
stronger relationships with a wide range of bodies and
individuals with an interest in the built environment. We
are now taking this partnership approach further forward to
feed into our strategy, and a Policy on Architecture
Progress Group has recently been established drawing
together key bodies in Scotland with an interest in the
built environment. The principal aims of the Group are to
inform Executive decisions on initiatives to take forward
the implementation of policy commitments, and to provide a
platform to assist in the co-ordination of initiatives
between built environment bodies in Scotland.
We have sought to stimulate debate through our policy
documents themselves, and this Progress Report continues
with that aim in mind. In Section 2 of this report we
provide more detail on the ways in which individual
commitments have been taken forward, whether by The
Lighthouse, with other partners, or by the Executive.
Section 3 provides an indication of the main ways in which
we see policy developing in future. In Section 4, we have
invited architectural writer Mark Cousins to provide his
views on the impacts of policy.
Landforms in
Barcelona
Photograph: Andrew Lee
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