Architecture and Design Scotland review: background report

Recommendations

7.0 The below sets out recommendations to the role and functions of A&DS as well as to the future structure of the body.

Recommendations on adjustments to the role of A&DS

7.1 The evidence from the RFA, stakeholder engagement and A&DS’s own evaluation work suggest that the role of the organisation is not well understood by some key groups and that the limited resources of the body are spread across the very broad policy landscape of place. Analysis of the economic opportunities in the creative industries suggests that there are currently untapped opportunities to support growth of the architecture and design sector in Scotland.

7.2 There is consequently a strong case for adjustments to the role of A&DS to enhance the impact of the body through streamlining and refocusing activity and capitalising on the key opportunity of sector growth in the architecture and design sector.

Key focus

Sector Development

• Recommendation:

A significant element of A&DS resource is refocussed towards supporting sectoral growth in architecture and design.

7.3 The identification of the value and growth potential of the architecture sector makes a compelling case for A&DS resources to be pivoted to support this opportunity.

7.4 Scotland has a high quality and well-respected architecture profession and A&DS supporting the sector more directly has good potential to increase economic benefits of sector activity as well as supporting the impact, health, and influence of a key element of Scotland’s creative workforce.

7.5 Priorities for the sector revolve around growing opportunity and supporting design within key market areas such as public sector projects as well as promoting opportunities in the rest of the UK and internationally.

7.6 Consideration of opportunities to support and promote Scottish architecture internationally should include the cultural activities as well as business development. This may include assessing the benefits of previous activities, such as participation in the Venice Biennale, alongside other opportunities to support Scottish architecture domestically and internationally in order to design a suitable programme of activity.

Centre of Excellence

• Recommendation:

A&DS operates as a centre of excellence in architecture and design meaning a greater emphasis on expert support for design priorities and less activity on facilitation and place promotion.

7.7 Transitioning A&DS design support towards a centre of excellence model involves streamlining activities to develop a national expert resource to share information, skills, research and emerging best practice on current and future design challenges and opportunities.

7.8 Developing A&DS as a centre of excellence has potential to improve the impact, profile and reputation of the body as well as improving sector productivity and positive outcomes for public and private development projects. It may also increase the viability of income generation through the development of paid-for A&DS design advice services.

7.9 The development of an approach where A&DS resources are split between supporting sector development and a centre of excellence model has potential to deliver multiple benefits including:

• developing the creative design workforce as an engine of growth and innovation in high value sectors, such as construction
• increasing impact and direct contribution to developing the creative workforce and supporting economic growth
• aligning current creative industries sector development activity and resources
• improving the profile and reputation of A&DS and increasing the viability of income generation through paid-for design advice services
• developing a more strategic approach, moving away from project-based activity
• prioritising limited resources towards areas of greatest potential impact
• supporting the needs of the Scottish architecture and design community

Priorities

• Recommendation:

A&DS’s role to support and promote architecture and design should focus on a discrete and well-defined set of priorities.

7.10 A shift towards supporting sectoral development combined with maintaining functions around technical design expertise would likely require a more streamlined and focussed approach around a clear set of priorities.

7.11 This Review recommends housing, climate and digital as priorities to be tested for viability and benefit. These are key national priorities with clear potential to benefit from enhanced links to the role of good architecture and the design.

• Recommendation:

Programmes on health and education buildings should be retained.

7.12 A&DS has developed valuable expertise in healthcare and education building design. This role should be retained, developed and where appropriate, expanded to support all types of public buildings.

Priority - Housing emergency

7.13 The housing emergency is a clear area where architecture and design have a positive role to play and there is a strong case for A&DS to focus on this as a key area of activity.

Priority - Climate Emergency

7.14 Additionally, the body has experience of working on climate issues at a place-based level and this is another key opportunity to align activities with government priorities. In order to strengthen the purpose of the body, the focus should be on how architecture and design supports climate action, within the environment of place-based working.

Priority - Digital and Design

7.15 Developments in digital technology will have an increasing role within the design and construction sector and developing an understanding of the opportunities for the design sector is crucial.

7.16 This work, and the utilisation of public sector and open-source data, offers a comparative advantage for A&DS to support the design and development sector, potentially supporting income generation. The location of A&DS within the Edinburgh Futures Institute provides a good opportunity to develop work to link design, data and digital. Developing partnerships that support research and the ‘futures’ agenda around architecture and design should be explored

Strategic activity

• Recommendation:

A&DS support for good design processes is focussed on strategic activity rather than local interventions.

7.17 A&DS has developed a programme of work involving interventions at local levels, often working in detail and over long periods with local interventions. In order to draw distinction between the activities of A&DS and other organisations providing similar functions, to increase impact, and to strengthen the justification for a design body operating at a national level, the focus of A&DS activities should be on fewer, bigger, more strategic activities and programmes.

7.18 There is a need for A&DS to carry out essential functions that are at the vanguard of innovation and that are not provided by others. Involvement in specific local interventions should be limited to support for nationally significant projects, or in support of an income generation model.

Income generation

• Recommendation:

Income generation via the provision of chargeable A&DS design services should be explored.

7.19 Currently A&DS relies on SG funding to support all activity. This funding is spread across a range of policy areas, each supporting a specific area of focus. This limited and restricted funding model constrains the ability of the body to innovate and significantly limits financial resilience, should one of these sources cease to support programme activity.

7.20 Design expertise is a high-value service and there is potential for A&DS to develop an income generation or cost recovery model to supplement public funding and make best value of public investment.

7.21 Comparable models for income generation from other design organisations currently exist and operate effectively. Developing an income generation or cost recovery model would help support budget sustainability and potential provide the A&DS with resources to invest in innovation.

7.22 The identification of key potential service users and related opportunities, constraints and motivations would require to be considered as part of a model for income generation. Subsidy control issues would also require to be explored.

Recommendations on adjustments to the structure of A&DS

Short Term Sustainability

• Recommendation:

Exploration of a voluntary severance packages for A&DS.

7.23 In order to address immediate budget sustainability, this recommendation was provided to A&DS in October 2024. Acting on this recommendation, A&DS took forward a voluntary severance scheme in late 2024 with staff exits taking place in March 2025 to address budget pressures.

Nested model

• Recommendation:

Develop a ‘nested model’ for A&DS services within an existing host public body.

7.24 This Review considers a merger/ nested model to be the most advantageous option for the medium term. Any nested model would have to consider wider reform and change activity across potential host organisations.

7.25 A nested model would see A&DS operate as a distinct organisation but nested within the infrastructure of a larger public body. This would provide resilience and efficiency on corporate issues whilst providing the necessary autonomy and independence to fulfil the discrete functions of a national architecture and design body.

7.26 Benefits of adopting a nested model would include:

• retaining a distinct architecture and design body and professional skills within public sector
• providing operating efficiencies and organisational resilience
• providing greater flexibility and delivery capacity than through Scottish Government
• opportunity to capitalise on synergies with other services provided by a host body
• increased potential to develop income generation/ cost recovery through linking with wider services within the host organisation
• opportunity to build on successful examples operating within public bodies

7.27 The identification of an appropriate host organisation would be dependent on any changes to the role and functions of A&DS and the outcomes of any the wider public service reform agenda.

Strategic partnerships

• Recommendation:

A&DS develop and operate within strategic partnerships in order to increase impact, optimise resources and embed structural collaborations within everyday working practice.

7.28 Reform of A&DS structure aims to increase the impact of the body. However, as a small organisation A&DS has limited resources with which to address significant policy challenges and priorities. Therefore, considering the role of A&DS within a wider context of related organisations will help to optimise the ability of the body to effect change.

7.29 A strategic partnership around architecture, the wider design sector, the creative industries, and the construction sector would provide a strong and coherent framework for A&DS to operate within. Organisations identified to explore the potential for strategic partnerships include:

• V&A Dundee - V&A Dundee’s remit as a national centre for design is a clear opportunity for A&DS to engage with at a strategic level
• Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS) - As the professional body, the RIAS represents the views of Scotland’s architecture sector and has credibility, expertise, and capacity to contribute to an effective strategic partnership
• Creative Scotland - Creative Scotland provides programmes with a clear relevance to current and future A&DS activity. Capitalising on resources, networks and learning through partnership working would be of significant mutual benefit

7.30 The important cultural role of architecture has been a key feature of previous policy delivery. There is good scope for strategic partnerships to support a public programme of architecture, both domestically and internationally, and exploration of this should be pursued.

7.31 Additionally, strategic links with organisations such as the Design Council, BE-ST, Scottish Futures Trust, Historic Environment Scotland and higher education institutions should be considered.

7.32 This approach would link design support across multiple organisations and lay the groundwork to harness the benefits set out under the following long term action recommendation to explore a national design body.

National design body model

• Recommendation:

Explore the potential for A&DS services to be embedded as part of a dedicated national design body promoting and supporting the design sector in Scotland to drive innovation, knowledge exchange and business development across the creative workforce.

7.33 Architecture and the wider design sector have both been identified by research as having good domestic and export growth potential. However, despite this potential neither architecture nor the wider design sector is currently supported in a coordinated way to capitalise on the position. Linking resources to support architecture with wider investment in design would provide multiple benefits.

7.34 Such a model would:

• link investment and key programmes of design support in Scotland
• support learning and intra-sector collaboration, developing Scotland’s innovation and product development capacity
• support design thinking across multiple industries and policy areas, including public sector service design.
• align architecture and design as key ‘Brand Scotland’ assets, promoting Scottish creativity and innovation internationally and in RoUK
• mirror successful example models such as the Danish Design Center
• increase the visibility and relevance of design to a wide audience of public and private sector service users, supporting income generation potential.
• provide operating efficiencies and organisational resilience

7.35 Establishing well-functioning sector development activity for architecture over the short to medium term would provide an effective platform to be expanded to cover other design disciplines over the longer term.

7.36 Effective European examples exist of dedicated national design bodies, which support and promote the design sector, including architecture. Moving towards such a model in Scotland should be explored as a long-term ambition to support sectoral growth, provide operating and funding efficiencies, grow networks, and develop integrated sectoral learning and development.

7.37 This would be a longer-term ambition to explore and would not involve the creation of a new public body but may be achieved through mergers and/ or strategic partnerships under an umbrella identity and governance structure.

Conclusion

7.38 Supporting architecture and design through an increased focus on sectoral growth and greater coordination across national bodies has potential to deliver multiple benefits.

7.39 Short term actions to stabilise the sustainability of A&DS and pivot activity towards new priorities will play a useful first step in transitioning the organisation towards new priorities around sectoral growth and design excellence.

7.40 Over the medium term, consolidating new priorities and roles within wider structures (such as through nesting/ strategic partnerships) will provide improved resilience and help to establish relationships and opportunities

7.41 Long term direction should explore a more comprehensive model that supports design and architecture through a dedicated national partnership or body. This provides an opportunity to capitalise on the significant economic, social, and cultural benefits that can be delivered through a thriving architecture and design sector.