Scottish firms Gareth Hoskins Architects and NORD Architects LLP have been included in the Architects Journal and Corus exhibition '40 under 40' - which highlights the 40 best architectural practices across the UK with principals under 40 years of age. GHA and NORD are the only Scottish practices to be featured in this prestigious exhibition and specially extended edition of the Architects Journal.

Gareth Hoskins Architects Ltd are one of the leading architecture and design practices in the UK with a reputation for producing creative and expressive design solutions. Established in 1998, and now grown to over 30 people, the practice's innovative and people focused designs have resulted in a wide variety of prominent projects both throughout the UK and abroad. Projects range from the new V&A and RIBA Architecture Gallery at the Victoria and Albert Museum, the prestigious masterplan for the Royal Museum, Edinburgh and the new world class visitor centre at Culloden Battlefield for the National Trust for Scotland. The practice's most recently completed building is Robin House the new children's hospice for CHAS in Loch Lomond National Park. The new building has been highlighted by the Royal Fine Arts Council as a model of 'design excellence' and 'best practice' for future developments within the Park.

GHA's approach is very much centred on a process of 'understanding', 'exploring' and 'testing' of the aims for the project and the ideas that spring from these. The resulting designs and ideas look beyond the initial aspirations, to create environments that enable people to easily go about their daily activities and enjoy the places in which they live, work and play. The imaginative and responsive buildings, environments and designs created, have been widely recognised through major press coverage and a string of national exhibitions and awards, including an RIBA award, Scottish Young Architect of the Year, and the award as the Best Young Architectural Practice in the UK.

NORD Architects LLP (Northern Office for Research and Design) was formed in June 2002. Directors Robin Lee and Alan Pert established their working relationship whilst working on the Award winning Tramway Arts Venue redevelopment with Zoo Architects. They founded NORD with the intention of channeling their skills into more diverse design challenges. NORD have quickly developed a wide range of experience that includes projects in the Arts, commercial, residential and leisure sectors while their interior design, product and exhibition work has awarded them recognition at last years Salon de Meuble in Milan. In August 2004 NORD set up a European office following a commission in Barcelona.

Throughout their careers NORD have established a reputation for themselves as innovative, award winning, contemporary architects, with Pert winning Young Scottish Architect of the Year for 2001-2002. Although the company is Architecture based, its radical new design approach attempts to forge links and establish new working methods across many design disciplines and to function as the core for a new collaborative design methodology. As befits its name, it is keen to act as a workshop for research as well as design and to enable these to develop simultaneously. Their multi disciplinary approach ensures that design solutions are thoroughly researched and co-ordinated with clients' requirements. NORD has recently won the Architects Journals small projects award and at this years Scottish Design Awards NORD won in three categories; Best Residential Project, Best Product Design and Best Exhibition Design for Landforms at the Venice Biennale.

The '40 under 40' exhibition is being held at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, and starts from Monday 20th June 2005, running until Friday 30th September 2005. The exhibition will also tour the country and will be on show at the Royal Museum of Scotland from 10th to 30th October to coincide with the Stirling Prize announcement.