2004 New Scottish Parliament Building Opened
Scottish Parliament Building
After the success of the Referendum in 1997 the First Minister Donald Dewar announced a competition for the design of Scotland’s new parliament building. The winner was the design of Catalan architect, Enric Miralles.
His adventurous design with leaf shaped buildings and upturned boat style skylights was finally opened by the Queen on October 9th 2004.
The building has shouldered more than it’s fair share of criticism; Almost 3 years late in completion the final cost of the building is estimated at £431.95 million. Estimates of the original budget ranged from an early estimate of £40.95 million to a cost of £109.95 million based on Miralles original designs making it massively over budget.
Despite the criticism the building nestles proudly in its magnificent setting on the edge of Holyrood park. And recent architectural acclaim are set to make it a landmark building of world renown and one that all Scots can feel proud of.
Blog Post about The Opening of Scottish Parliament
Martin Fowler’s Graphic History of Scotland
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