Architecture and Design Scotland review: summary report

Overview

In February 2024, the Scottish Government began a review process to analyse activities in place to support architecture policy delivery in Scotland. As the key vehicle for the delivery of architecture and place policy, the review principally focussed on the work of the Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB) Architecture & Design Scotland (A&DS).

The initial outcomes of this review were shared with A&DS in October 2024 and a further phase of work to interpret and test recommendations with A&DS and with stakeholders was undertaken from late 2024 to early 2025. This report summarises the outcomes of this review and sets out a series of recommendations for reform of the body.

The Review found that A&DS has played an important role in helping to successfully establish the place agenda in the built environment sector in Scotland over the past decade. It established the basis for continuing support of the body, however, the Review found that change is now required in order for A&DS to operate with maximum impact.

Recommendations summary

• Sector Development: A significant element of A&DS resource should be refocussed towards supporting sectoral growth in architecture and design
• Centre of Excellence: 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
• Priorities: A&DS’s role to support and promote architecture and design should focus on the discrete priorities of housing, climate and digital. Programmes on health and education buildings should be retained
• Strategic activity: A&DS support for good design processes is focussed on strategic activity rather than local interventions
• Income generation: Income generation via the provision of chargeable A&DS design services should be explored
• Short Term Sustainability: exploration of voluntary severance scheme for A&DS
• Nested model: Develop a ‘nested model’ for A&DS services within an existing host public body
• Strategic partnerships: A&DS should develop and operate within strategic partnerships in order to increase impact, optimise resources and embed structural collaborations within everyday working practice
• National design body model: 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