Edinburgh, the Scottish Parliament. Miralles y Tagliabue 2004

The creativity of the Catalan architect is expressed, perhaps more clearly, in the MSP Building: a building which has 6 storeys on one side stepping down to 4 on the other.
The characteristic of this building is that it was constructed using concrete units cast on site. Each of them weighs 18 tons and forms an office.
The most interesting area is without a doubt the west side, where there are stainless steel windows with built-in seats to be used for "contemplation" by the Members of Parliament. Inside, some of these units are 1 metre deep, while others are only half a metre, but all of them have built-in cupboards made of oak and maple.

The complex also includes Queensberry House, once the home of the Duke of Queensberry, then used for different purposes until its recent refurbishment.
Lastly, the Canongate building is distinguished by a 18-metre wide cantilever structure edged by the Canongate wall, on which there is a view of the streets of Edinburgh based on a sketch by Miralles.

Laura Della Badia