The Canongate Building is situated next to Queensberry House at the foot of the Canongate. It incorporates a completely new building and offices constructed behind the original façade of 58-60 Canongate.
The Parliament's Finance and Procurement offices are situated behind the old façade. The Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) and Information Technology staff are in the new part of the building.
Design Features
Original façade
Enric Miralles particularly liked the façade of 58-60 Canongate which has been retained along with the existing gables. The rest of the original building was demolished to make way for a new structure of steel and concrete.
New building
The new part of the Canongate building is an impressive two-storey cantilevered structure. Supported at one end by reinforced concrete, the building spans approximately 18 metres without any supporting columns.
Canongate Wall
Under the façade of the Canongate building is the Canongate Wall. The overall design of the Canongate Wall was by Soraya Smithson and incorporates a range of Scottish stones, carved by Gillian Forbes and Martin Reilly, set in large pre-cast concrete panels. At the lower end of the wall is a townscape based around a sketch by Enric Miralles of Edinburgh's Old Town as viewed from his room in the Balmoral Hotel on Princes Street in Edinburgh.
The 26 quotations, of relevance to Scotland and the Parliament, range from well-loved pieces of poetry to proverbs and psalms. There are quotations in English, Gaelic and Scots and many of Scotland's leading writers are represented.
The origional 24 quotations were chosen from a selection of material made available to the Art Group, consisting of three MSPs, Jamie Stone, Kenneth Macintosh and Michael Russell, who were charged by the SPCB to assist with the implementation of the first phase of the Art Strategy for Holyrood. The material considered included submissions from members of the public.
To mark the tenth anniversary of the Scottish Parliament and ten years of devolution, the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body agreed that one or two new quotations should be added to the Canongate Wall. The panel selected two new quotations, bringing the total number of quotations on the Wall to 26. Learn more about the Canongate Wall competition and quotation selection process.
The overall design of the Canongate Wall, by Sora Smithson, incorporates a range of Scottish stones set in large pre-cast conrete panels inscribed with 26 quotations
Read the quotations inscribed on the Canongate Wall
To mark the tenth anniversary of the Scottish Parliament and ten years of devolution, the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body agreed that new quotations should be added to the Canongate Wall