Scotland on Sunday

Since devolution in 1997, there have been at least 13 buildings of national significance constructed or planned in Scotland. These range from the Museum of Scotland, the Dean Gallery and the National Galleries Playfair Project in Edinburgh to the Science Centre Tower in Glasgow. The list makes curious reading. Out of the 13 building projects that represent the "new, independent, brave" Scotland, eight have been designed by London designers. Just four used the services of Scottish architecture firms while, as has been well documented, the Scottish Parliament has been a joint Scottish/Spanish venture. It has been nearly eight years since devolution. That's time enough for a country to be optimistic about its future and to feel at ease with its own capabilities. But the Scottish Executive appears to be having a crisis of confidence in the abilities of its homegrown architects.