The Scottish Government

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Section 3: Introduction

Context

3.1 The United Kingdom is in the midst of its biggest building boom post World War II. Much of this transformation is in the public sector, spearheaded by the increasing belief of policy makers in the potential difference that good, or bad, architecture and design can make to the lives and aspirations of individuals and communities.

3.2 In Scotland, this is evident in:

• A 30% rise in the total turnover of the construction industry in Scotland, from £8.4m in 1998 to £10.9m by 2003 ⁹
• The largest ever investment in school buildings with 200 schools being built or refurbished by 2006 and a further 100 schools by 2008-09 ¹⁰
• A total of 27 hospital project proposals in the last five years with a total value of £983m ¹¹
• A total of 119,000 new residential dwellings built between 2000 and 2004, equivalent to 5% of the total occupied households in Scotland ¹², with a 9% increase in the number being built between 2003 and 2004 ¹³.

3.3 We know that well-designed buildings and places have the power to inspire us; to make us feel good about who we are, what we do and where we live, and importantly, they motivate us to achieve more - for ourselves and for our communities.

3.4 In Scotland, a belief in this connection between good architecture and design and quality of life is fundamental to government policy. It underpinned the publication of A Policy on Architecture for Scotland (2001a) ¹⁴ and the subsequent establishment of Architecture and Design Scotland (A+DS) in April 2005 to be the champion for good architecture, design and planning in the built environment.

"Scottish Ministers want Scotland to be one of the best small countries in the world, valued as an outstanding place to visit, work and live. In turning this aspiration into reality a key task is to maintain and enhance the quality of our natural and built heritage. It is equally important that any development, whether new build or refurbished, contributes positively to the quality of our cities, towns and rural areas. ¹⁵"

3.5 In 2001, the Scottish Executive published A Policy on Architecture for Scotland (2001a), setting out the Executive's commitment to the promotion of good architecture and good building design and its actions to encourage improvements in the quality of our buildings. The latest development in this policy is the establishment of Architecture and Design Scotland (A+DS) in April 2005 to be the champion for good architecture, design and planning in the built environment.

3.6 In light of the development of the Policy on Architecture for Scotland and to provide better access to information on the impact of architecture and design in many spheres of life, the Scottish Executive commissioned this literature review on the social, economic and environmental impact of architecture and design.

3.7 The review is intended primarily to inform the Scottish Executive and Architecture and Design Scotland but it is hoped that it might be beneficial for wider audiences, encompassing public, community interests and private interests, including:

• Central government
• Local authorities
• Government agencies and non-departmental public bodies
• Think Tanks
• Architecture and design professionals
• Planning authorities
• Research Funding Councils
• Trusts and foundations
• Industry groups and initiatives
• Professional institutions and trade associations
• Academic institutions, networks and groups
• Landowners
• Developers
• Investors
• Funders
• Management agents
• Occupiers
• Highways authorities
• Emergency services
• Amenity groups
• Local communities

Aims and objectives

3.8 The aim of the research was to gather sufficient national and international evidence of the social, economic and environmental impact of architecture and design, both positive and negative, to inform new design with a view to improving people's quality of life.

3.9 Within this, the specific objectives were to:

• Cover national and international examples of research, both positive and negative
• Explore the impact of architecture and design on the end-user - the individuals - who participate in activities in a building or an area and to identify, where possible, the building and design factors giving rise to these impacts.
• Cite, where found, examples of good practice, where a building or place has been designed to create a specific, beneficial environment, and this has been achieved.
• Provide a separate Dissemination Strategy for the literature review to ensure that the report is made available to the widest possible range of relevant organisations and individuals.

Scope

3.10 The primary focus of the literature search was, as far as possible, to gather empirical rather than anecdotal evidence. While much case-study evidence exists, limited robust quantitative research has been undertaken with end-users. Much of the evidence presented is therefore a synthesis of case-study evidence.

3.11 Research was sought from central government; government agencies and non-departmental public bodies; think tanks; architecture and design professionals; research funding councils; trusts and foundations; industry groups and initiatives; professional institutions; trade associations and academic institutions, networks and groups.

3.12 The literature review focused on research undertaken in the last ten years, between 1995 and 2005, with the greatest emphasis placed on the most recent research.

3.13 The final sample achieved was:

• 158 organisations contacted
• 195 documents sourced
• 105 documents reviewed.

3.14 The geographic reach of the review was given three levels of priority:

3.15 A full list of organisations initially contacted is set out in the Appendix with a list of documents reviewed in the bibliography.

Methods

3.16 The review was undertaken in 6 stages:

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