Remember The Emperor’s New Clothes, when the little boy speaks up and everyone realises they’ve been taken for mugs?

This is how I felt following the absurdity of the Scottish Parliament building winning the Stirling Prize for the biggest contribution to British architecture in the year. If ever there was an example of style over substance this is it. All the other contenders had more merit. I especially liked the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking and the BMW building in Leipzig.

Maybe I’m biased, but these two buildings are there to create wealth, not consume it. Both show that good design and profit can work together, and that the former is not the prerogative of bloated egos in the public sector. I am also sure the buildings were not years late and 10 times over budget.

I will get flak for my comments. Not being a designer, there are those who will say I do not “understand” design. Well, sorry, but I just don’t see it, at least not in the terms the judges used. The judges said the building “manifests itself as an attempt at an organic transition between the city and the drama of the Scottish countryside surrounding it”.

Who makes this stuff up?

The real heroes of Holyrood were the construction teams charged with taking a half-formed idea and turning it into a reality. No doubt about it, the quality of the work is excellent and I am sure all who work and visit the building enjoy it.

The contribution the project made to the construction industry has been immense, although I doubt it has actually done much for the credibility of architecture. It has showed what not to do and was a lesson well learnt by the Welsh Assembly.

With the Olympics on the horizon, it’s a reminder that we need substance as well as style. Without Holyrood’s design and procurement lessons, we’d be lucky to have stadia ready by 2016, and costing 10 times over budget.

I’m looking forward to visiting the Scottish Parliament. I went in 2002 when it was only five times over budget and nearly ready. It has a certain fascination; a bit like a car accident when the traffic slows for a sly look.

n Chris Blythe is chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Building

Source

Construction Manager